TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The 2nd Asian Visions and Voices international conference opened on Friday, focusing on the implications of US President Donald Trump’s second term.
Over two days at the Howard Plaza Hotel in Taipei, experts will address the challenges of a global economy and shifting US-China relations. The conference emphasizes cross-border dialogue in navigating geopolitical uncertainties.
In his opening keynote, Harvard Kennedy School Professor Rana Mitter remarked about the “technology curtain,” a modern parallel to the Cold War’s Iron Curtain. This digital divide is forcing nations to make difficult choices regarding their infrastructure and alignment, he said.
Despite these tensions, Mitter offered an optimistic view. Rather than a world of rigid geopolitical blocs, we may be entering an era of issue-based alliances and strategic slotting.
He concluded that, despite frustrations with a US-dominated system, few are eager to adopt a Chinese-led one, creating opportunities for other players through realignment.
Professor Danny Quah of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy shifted the focus away from great power rivalry to the perspective of small states. He said under Trump 2.0, US policy has become conflictual, characterized by universal tariffs that penalize even close strategic allies.
For the majority of the world’s population, navigating this environment is no longer about statecraft but about economic diplomacy and survival, he argued.
Quah suggested that nations must adapt and mitigate. This shift toward groupings like the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership represents a strategic move for those living outside the great powers to thrive.
National Tsing Hua University Professor Yves Tiberghien, an East Asia expert, echoed concerns about US disruption. He said, unexpectedly, the Global North like Europe suffered the most while the Global South and middle powers have fared better.
Regarding trade, he said China’s surplus was “unsustainable” at NT$37.9 trillion (US$1.2 trillion) last year. He suggested global friction will shift from trade to finance and currency dominance.
Looking to this year, Tiberghien said greater disruption may come but highlighted that AI innovation is around the corner.
Shifting to India, Nalanda University Professor Sachin Chaturvedi said Global South nations are spearheading a revolution in financial technology as the US shifts towards more restrictive trade policies.
Echoing Quay, he said countries must retaliate or reconcile. However, Chaturvedi said the space for economic maneuvering is becoming narrow.
Even Indonesia is seeing a shift. Universitas Indonesia Professor Broto Wardoyo explained that Jakarta generally maintains an independent foreign policy.
Trump 2.0 is changing that, he said, noting closer economic links with China. Given a lack of US interest in investing in Indonesia over the past two decades, Jakarta could see China as a replacement, Wardoyo warned.
