10 - 11 November 2008
Conference Hall, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China

The 2nd Annual Convention was held in Beijing from the 10th to 11th November 2008, and was jointly organised by the Institute of Asia Pacific Studies (IAPS) and Academic Division of International Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. In the Inaugural session of the Convention, Dr Zhang Yuyan, Director of IAPS, welcomed all to the Convention and noted the increasing dominance of NTS issues, especially in China, he noted the significant role played by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, not only as a prime research institute in humanities and social sciences, but also as an important think tank or brain trust of the Chinese government. Dr Zhang also noted that among the eight institutes specializing in international studies in CASS, IAPS stands out as it is the only institute which has such a holistic field of studies. Opening remarks were then delivered by Mr John Fitzgerald, Country Representative of the Ford Foundation, China. In his bilingual speech (English and Mandarin), Mr Fitzgerald commended the progress of NTS-Asia since its initial stages of a programme under RSIS, of which the Ford Foundation has continued to support.

Assoc Prof Mely Caballero Anthony, Secretary-General of NTS-Asia, then proceed to give a brief introduction to what the Consortium was about. She also noted the transnational effects as a result of the financial crisis in the US, whose adverse ripple effects have threatened the stability and security of many countries worldwide. Despite this, she expressed optimism that the recent victory by Barack Obama as the President of the United States signals a new dawn in the way the world’s superpower would manage its international security concerns, and thus inspires a time for change. It is therefore even more pertinent to increase the exchange of ideas on NTS challenges, not only within the Asian region, but also with Western epistemic communities and policymakers, and thereby be better able to formulate policies in meeting these emerging security challenges.

The keynote address was then delivered by Prof. Zhang Yunling, Director of CASS’ Academic Division of International Studies, who noted the increasing shift in China’s perspective on security, from that of traditional security to non-traditional security. This is evident given China’s experiences from a range of NTS issues, such as the 1997 financial crises and the SARS epidemic. These events highlight the element of shared responsibility, which in turn reflects a need for an international cooperation in addressing the issues. He also noted that China has made a considerable progress in addressing NTS issues in many areas. The Wen Chuan earth quake is one such example which reflects the progress of the institutional building in developing emergency mechanisms for quick response, the shift in placing human security as China’s priority, the openness to international involvement and the increasing important role played by the media. Despite this progress, there still remain challenges that need to be addressed. Firstly, there is a need to rethink about the model of “modernisation” by reviewing Western industrialisation model, especially in light of the current financial crises. Secondly, there is a need to evaluate China’s new scientific development strategy. Thirdly, it is imperative to review the forms of cooperation needed. Prof. Zhang concluded his address by calling for decisive and future oriented actions, and looked forward to two days of engaging and constructive deliberations during the conference.

In addition to taking stock of the Consortium's activities for the year, members of the NTS-Asia Network discussed a range of timely NTS issues such as Food Security, Energy Security, Disaster Diplomacy and Transnational Crime. It was indeed a fruitful experience as questions and opinions raised were engaging, especially drawing on the perspectives of Chinese scholars, who provided new insights on analysing the various nuances of NTS issues in the region.

 

Presentations and Speeches delivered at the Convention

Opening Remarks
Dr. Zhang Yuyan, Director, Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Vice President, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Opening Remarks
Mr. John Fitzgerald, Country Representative, Ford Foundation, China

Introductory Remarks
Assoc. Prof. Mely Caballero Anthony, Secretary-General, NTS-Asia and Head, Centre for NTS Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU

Keynote Address
Prof Zhang Yunling, Director, Academic Division of International Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

 

Panel on Disaster Diplomacy

“China Foreign Policy”
Prof. Wang Yizhou, Deputy Director, Institute of World Economics and Politics (IWEP), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

“Disaster diplomacy and the dilemma of humanitarian intervention, the case of Myanmar/Burma in comparison with China."
Dr. Miki Honda, Research Fellow, Global-COE:GIARI, Waseda University

“Disaster Diplomacy: Sri Lanka following the Tsunami Devastation”
Amb. Geetha de Silva, Interim Executive Director, Regional Centre for Strategic Studies, Colombo, Sri Lanka

“Helping neighbours in trouble? Disaster response in global governance”
Dr Alain Guilloux, University of Hong Kong

Disaster Diplomacy in Asia: An Indian Perspective
Maj.Gen. (Retd) Dipankar Banerjee, Director, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, Delhi, India

 

Panel on Food Security

“China-Asean Environmental Cooperation”
Xia Yingxian, Deputy Director Division of Regional Environmental Cooperation, Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Environmental Protection, PRC

“Gender Sustainable Development and Climate Change”
Dr Meenakshi Gopinath, Honorary Director, Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP), Responsibility of His Holiness The Dalai Lama, New Delhi, India

"Interfacing Food and Energy Security : Bangladesh Perspective".
Dr. Abdur Rob Khan, Research Director, Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies

“Food Security: Another Case for Human Security in ASEAN”
Ms. Irene A. Kuntjoro, Associate Research Fellow, Centre for NTS Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU

 

Panel on Energy Security

"Chinese Energy Structure and Security"
Prof. Gao Shikuan, Assistant Director, Energy Research Institute, National Development and Reform Commission, PRC

"Oilsands in Canada and China's Energy Security"
Dr Xue Li, Assistant Professor (Research Fellow), Institute of World Economics and Politics (IWEP), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Energy Security: An Indonesian Perspective
Dr Raymond Atje, Head, Department of Economics, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta, Indonesia

"Energy Security in Northeast Asia"
Prof Ahn Se-Hyun, Assistant Professor, Dept of International Relations, University of Seoul

"Nuclear Renaissance and Political Risk"
Dr. Rajesh Manohar Basrur, Associate Professor, Centre for NTS Studies, S. Rajaratnam School for International Studies, NTU

 

Panel on Transnational Crime

"Fighting the Hydra: The Security Implications of Transnational Crime"
Dr. Herman Kraft, Assistant Professor , Department of Political Science, University of Philippines

"Regional Responses to Human Trafficking" *
Dr. Nicholas Thomas, China-ASEAN Project, Centre for Asian Studies, University of Hong Kong

"Small Arms in East Asia"
Dr Zhang Xuegang, Research Fellow, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations

"Different Treatment: Women Trafficking in the Securitisation of Trans-national Crimes"
Dr Rizal Sukma, Deputy Executive Director, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta, Indonesia

 

* Presentation based on article by Ralf emmers, Beth Greener-Barcham, and Nicholas Thomas, Institutional Arrangements to Counter Human Trafficking in the Asia Pacific,Contemporary Southeast Asia, Vol. 28, No. 3 (2006), pp. 490–511