In welcoming the 30th anniversary of the ASEAN-China relations next year, FPCI Research & Analysis department conducted a public survey about the ASEAN-China relationship from June until October 2020. The survey is titled “ASEAN-China Survey 2020: Assessing the Present and Envisioning the Future of ASEAN-China Relations.” The survey involved 1000 respondents from 10 ASEAN Member States and coming from five segments of the general public: government officials, academia, business community, civil society, and students.
FPCI Virtual Public Forum on Assessing the Present and Envisioning the Future of ASEAN-China Relations
On Friday, 4 September 2020, Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) convened a virtual public forum on “Assessing the Present and Envisioning the Future of ASEAN-China Relations.” This public forum served as a form of ‘community briefing’ for ASEAN nationals on the preliminary findings of FPCI’s ASEAN-China Survey 2020. The forum was begin with an opening remarks from Dr. Dino Patti Djalal, Founder of FPCI.
The discussion was moderated by Dr. Shofwan Al Banna, Head of Undergraduate Programme of International Relations Department at the University of Indonesia, who is also the Senior Advisor of ASEAN-China Survey 2020 featuring the following panelists: 1) Dr. Kin Phea, Director General, International Relations Institute of Cambodia (IRIC) 2) Dr. Jayant Menon, Visiting Senior Fellow, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore 3) Dr. Ha Anh Tuan, Executive Director, Foundation for East Sea (SCS) Studies, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV)
The panel highlighted achievements that ASEAN and China have reached together and delivered substantive insights into identified challenges, gaps to be addressed, and opportunities to seize, based on the perspectives of the region’s grassroots community.
In less than three months away, Americans will decide who their next president will be. With so much at stake, this year’s election will map out the country’s stance on democracy, liberal international order, and most importantly, determine the recovery of a nation that has been stricken with economic, public health, and social crises.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had huge economic, social, and political implications in Southeast Asia and around the world. Additionally, economic instability in Southeast Asia is intensifying and prolonging geo-political upheavals, with disputes becoming more unpredictable as states struggle to control the pandemic.
The OECD Economic Outlook published this June revealed that an unprecedented collapse in the first half of this year due to the novel coronavirus outbreak caused an almost 13% decline in global GDP. This was a far cry from the more optimistic interim prediction of 1.5% that was projected back in May 2020.
The impact of the COVID-19 to the national and global political, economy, health, and social landscapes have been dominating many discussion sessions lately, but to date, minimal attention has been directed towards the issue of security, particularly in regard to terrorism and other forms of violent extremism. There are, in fact, emerging waves of new cases related to acts of terror across the globe. Over the past following weeks, researchers and practitioners have been voicing out their concerns about a crack the pandemic may open to terror groups that seek to advance their causes. One researcher alerts that “terrorism is likely to morph into new shapes and forms. Terrorist groups have positioned themselves to exploit the opportunities of a post-COVID-19 world.”
President Trump’s Middle East Peace Plan revealed in January this year significantly favors Israel, with a ‘take it or leave it’ deal that leaves the Palestinians completely out of the discussion. It involved a United States-backed annexation plan of the West Bank that may take place as soon as July 1st. The plan also declared that Jerusalem will ‘remain Israel’s undivided capital.’ East Jerusalem, also claimed by Palestine to be the capital of their future state, has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East War.
The Road to Paris Peace Forum 2020: Calling for Innovative Projects in Response to a COVID-19 World
The Paris Peace Forum (PPF) was born in 2018 as a supporter of multilateralism and a catalyst for a global collective movement that seeks to provide solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has only further reaffirmed PPF’s commitment to think forward, pave the way for the global community to best respond to the COVID-19, and most importantly, shape the landscape for multilateralism in a post-COVID-19 world. For the Paris Peace Forum third event in November 2020, the PPF Secretariat is looking for projects and initiatives from around the world that have been addressing the COVID-19 crisis. The PPF Secretariat is especially looking for those whose projects seek to improve our collective resilience and build a more robust and sustainable world. In this context, those who are addressing the following issues are strongly encouraged to apply: the governance of health; the use and regulation of digital tools and platforms to respond to the crisis; and the support of civil society and economic activity in times of pandemics.
Apart from COVID-19 related solutions, the PPF Secretariat is also considering other projects that tackle various issues in sustainable development, climate change and environment, education, and gender equality. Selected projects and initiatives will have the unique opportunities to receive project support mechanisms from the PPF Scale-Up Committee. Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) as one of the founding members of PPF is trusted to introduce the spirit of the Forum in Indonesia and the greater Southeast Asian region. We fully support PPF’s important agenda in developing the most innovative and workable solutions and enhancing cross-sectoral collaborations for the most pressing issues of our day. We are proud and excited to share such spirit here in Indonesia.
To watch the event, kindly access this following link: or watch it here in our website.
The global outbreak of the novel coronavirus has led to the deaths of hundreds and thousands of lives globally. Currently, stay-at-home practices are the best way of curbing the number of infections. Finding a vaccine is ultimately the number one weapon to fight this pandemic.
