According to UCC this will be the century when Asia emerges as the dominant economic force in the world. How the West responds now, therefore, will be critical to each country’s success or failure in the decades ahead. Tomorrow, October 20th , University College Cork begins a series of lectures involving the key Asian ambassadors to Ireland, aimed at highlighting the opportunities and challenges for Irish people who, increasingly, will look to the East for a brighter future.
The series will begin tomorrow, October 20th, with the Ambassador of Japan to Ireland, His Excellency Toshinao Urabe, and continue until January 12th next when His Excellency Yuri Octavian Thamrin, Indonesian Ambassador to Ireland, will give the closing talk. Between now and January, the ambassadors of India, His Excellency P.S. Raghavan; Pakistan, His Excellency Naghmana Hashmi; Phillipines, His Excellency Ariel Y. Abadilla; Australia, His Excellency Bruce David, and China, His Excellency Liu Biwei, will offer fresh perspectives on Asian culture, innovation, export opportunities for Irish manufacturers and the potential jobs market.is Exc3e
This year, UCC’s School of Asian Studies will launch Ireland’s first MA in Asian Studies and MSc in Asian Business Studies. The series has been organised both to accompany the new programmes and to alert Irish graduates and business people to the global shift in the economic power base. The need for a deeper understanding of Asian societies, languages, politics and economies, has never been as important, and the lecture series is designed to present new insights that will help to chart the way forward. As well as focusing on economic issues, the ambassadors will discuss cultural ties between their countries and Ireland, the business vista in each country and how Ireland’s role in a resurgent Asia might develop in the future.
The ambassadors’ lecture series will take place in the Council Room, North Wing, UCC on the following dates:
Japan: Japanese Ambassador Toshinao Urabe, October 20th 2010
India: Indian Ambassador P.S. Raghavan, November 3rd 2010
Pakistan: Pakistani Ambassador Naghmana Hashmi, November 10th 2010
Philippines: Philippines Ambassador Ariel Y. Abadilla, December 1st 2010
Australia: Australian Ambassador Bruce David, December 8th 2010
China: Chinese Ambassador Liu Biwei, December 15th 2010
Indonesia: Indonesian Ambassador Yuri Octavian Thamrin, January 12th 2011
