SMU Chairman and the Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings Mr Ho Kwon Ping spoke recently at the joint Future Global Forum and Singapore Regional Business Forum on 27 August 2018. In his address, he highlighted the emergence of Pax Sinica and its inevitability in the near future regardless of the preferences from other countries. Mr Ho outlined the three basic scenarios for China's future – Bubble Tea Scenario, Clash of Civilisations Scenario and the Pax Sinica Scenario. He believed that China's "One Belt One Road" initiative will be a test of Asean's attitude towards an increasingly assertive China.

Mr Ho also stressed the importance for Asean countries to uphold principles such as speaking truth to power, maintaining a constructive neutrality, and adopting mutually beneficial policies even as a Pax Sinica emerges over the next century. As long as Asean and China re-align their centuries-old relations with wisdom gained from past mistakes as well as successes, there is a reasonable chance that the Asian century can be beneficial for all its communities, big or small, and be sustainable for longer than a Chinese or South-east dynasty.