As it happened: WION Global Summit 2021

Also read: 'Respect human rights and dignities' — Taiwan's Former Defence Minister to China

Speaking at the WION Global summit in Dubai on Wednesday, Michale Tsai said Taiwan believes "China has immense responsibility for not reporting this virus to WHO in time".

Highlights of the speech of Michael Tsai, Former Defence Minister, Taiwan

We can help, contribute, and donate medical support to many in need. To talk about China, I think China has to take the responsibility for not informing about the pandemic in time. I would suggest that the WHO has to do a little bit more.

I appeal that China has to respect human rights and dignities. Everyone in the world has to have concern for human rights in HK, Tibet and Xinjiang.

We would also appeal to China the Communist Leadership in Beijing, to stop their aggression towards Taiwan, Japan, etc in the South China Sea.

Why China has to do that? Setting up missile against those countries?

China sends their fighter jets almost every day and their submarines in the South China Sea causing the disturbance in the Asia Pacific and therefore we appeal to China to stop their missile threatening to the countries in the region.

Highlights of the speech of Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee GBS JP, Member of Hong Kong Legislative Council

Hong Kong did pretty well initially during the pandemic. There is a lot of people coming and going, who brought the virus to us.

We are flattening the curve, and the situation is improving. The pandemic showed lack of leadership, and unwillingness to provide help to countries. Particularly the US and Europe, the so-called leaders of the free world. Trump initially refused to acknowledge we had a pandemic.

All companies are struggling to get vaccine production to speed. The leadership of the free world have not been sharing information with developing countries. China and Russia are sharing information.

The global economy will continue to be depressed for a long time. But Hong Kong is relatively lucky. We have entered into contracts to buy vaccines.

Even if we have COVID under control, we will have to keep our borders closed. This means the global economy will continue to be depressed for a long time. 

We don't have the resources to develop the vaccine, but we have the resources to buy them. We have help from mainland China.

We brought back many residents stranded abroad. We do our part to keep this pandemic under control.

WHO continues to give advice, but it was not heeded by President Trump. I'm glad President Biden is more responsive.

We all have lockdown fatigue, the pandemic will go on for a long time due to lack of leadership from developed countries.

Highlights of former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe's speech

• China and India took a leadership role during the pandemic. India's companies are becoming vaccine suppliers of the world. 
   
• India's two firms are sending vaccines across the world.
   
• There has been a rise of Asia. India, China, Japan, ASEAN raised their profile. What will emerge may be a multipolar world.
   
• We have not yet reached a stage for a medical solution for the pandemic. We are still at the pandemic stage. What happened so far will only give us an indication of the future.
   
• It's not a question of destroying economic capacity or the financial system - the basis of all economic activity. We now have to see what the outcome is, we see a new situation.
   
• This pandemic cuts across the technological revolution, social revolutions and the rise of Asia.
  The forces that have driven the factors that drove change in 5 decades will be affected by COVID.
   
• Is a conventional system of stabilisation even possible in this situation? How will China's 5-year plan work out? 
   
• These will determine the financial outcomes of the US-China competition. Covid brought out the failure of global leadership.

Highlights of Japanese State Minister of Defence Nakayama Yasuhide's speech

“Using military power to change power is not healthy. Free and open Indo-Pacific is very important...geopolitically,” he said.

“How to hedge the risk of World War III is the thme for the next generation,” he said, adding that the way to that is “to unite, make friends.”

After COVID-19, democratic nations are partnering with each other. “I hope the world tries to understand the situation, what's going on now,” the minister said.

"I don't see why Biden Administration would not continue to support Abraham Accords. It has created momentum. We are at a stage where people are building peace," said Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Deputy Mayor, Jerusalem.

Also read: Israel-Arab reset a reflection of geopolitical reality aimed at Iran, says former US NSA John Bolton at WION Global Summit

In his address, Former US National Security Advisor John Boldon briefly surveyed the ongoing power plays in the region.

“Other outside powers will be playing, or certainly aspire to play, a large role in the region. The US, despite the continuing talk about the pivot to Asia, has to play as a power. We are interested everywhere. We're interested in East Asia, |South Asia, West Asia, that's not going to go away,” he said.

But other countries have begun to play an important role, and they could significantly “roil the waters in the Middle East,” he warned.

“Russia is already doing it. Over the past years, it has enhanced its position in Syria, it's a surrogate player in the surrogate civil war in Libya.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said, continues to aspire to “recreate Russian influence equivalent to that of the former Soviet Union” in West Asia. 

Also read: Post-pandemic world will be a different place than just wearing masks, says Indian external affairs minister Jaishankar

Alluding to the theme of WION'S Global Summit, "Power Play in a Post-Pandemic World", external affairs minister S Jaishankar said power plays have always existed and will continue, but in a changed playing field.

Also read: At WION Global Summit, leaders to deliberate on post-pandemic world order

Panelists will focus their attention on issues at the intersections of global politics, economy, diplomacy and our daily lives in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Session 4: Digital Revolution: The World Goes Online

Session 3: World Economy: The Price of the Pandemic

Session 2: The Post-Pandemic World Order

Session 1: Peace Deals & the Shifting Sands of West Asia

WION Global Summit 2021:

A platform for global thinkers to engage in dialogue on common global agenda affecting the world.