Description
About the book:
The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) is an inter-governmental, not-for-profit organisation that promotes understanding and interactions between Asia and Europe. In 2022-2023, ASEF is celebrating its 25th Anniversary. The past 25 years have been an extraordinary opportunity to bring Asia and Europe closer. The next 25 years could be more challenging; in a fragmenting world, it could also mean a bigger role for ASEF given its bridging capabilities and its reputation as an honest broker. As the only permanent institution of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the future of ASEF is inextricably linked to ASEM.
How would Asia-Europe Cooperation look like 25 years from now? What are the driving forces? What do Asians and Europeans stand to gain or lose? What is at stake? What is your vision for ASEM’s destination?
Voices from Asians and Europeans on The Future of Asia-Europe Cooperation: An Essay Competition Commemorating ASEF’s 25th Anniversary collects 68 essays from Asians and Europeans that elaborate on this topic, seeking to answer these questions and present the hopes for the future of Asia-Europe cooperation.
About the editors:
CHUA Thai Keong
TK Chua or CHUA Thai Keong is Singaporean, and thus a natural advocate of closer Asia-Europe relations. He works, plays and dreams in a language common to both Europe and Asia. In days before ASEM was born and ASEF formed, he studied 3 other European languages. He speaks a smattering of 5 Asian ones—Chinese, Malay, Thai, Japanese and Korean.
TK was formerly Singapore’s ambassador to South Africa (+Namibia, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho), Chile (non-resident) and Korea (+Mongolia). He was head of the China and Malaysia desks as part of a career that spans the world starting with ASEAN countries and the Asia Pacific. Thai Keong has an undergraduate degree each from Asia and Europe. He has worked in the Asian public arena and European private sector. In ASEF, he finds a special IO and NPO bringing Asia and Europe together.
Donny SUPARMAN
Donny Sandjaya Suparman, an Indonesian national, joined ASEF in April 2022 as Senior Project Executive. Prior to ASEF, he was a producer and also senior journalist at one of the biggest TV stations in Indonesia. He has rotated between various desks, from children’s programmes to current affairs, as well as documentary programs that took him to various remote areas in Indonesia and regional countries.
Donny holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta. Donny has also been a fellow at the Southeast Asia Press Alliance and has built relationships with journalists in many countries on the continent.
He enjoys an orderly life in Singapore.