Hian is a founding partner of Openspace Capital, a leading multi-strategy asset management firm focused on Southeast Asia. Most notably, he was an early investor in some of Southeast Asia's most notable tech startups such as Gojek, Love Bonito and Lucence. Hian himself has extensive entrepreneurial experience. He founded and built Asian Food Channel, a 24-hour pay TV channel that was sold to US media giant Scripps Interactive (now Warner Brothers Discovery Inc.). Prior to this, he was a technology investment banker at SG Warburg (now UBS) and Salomon Smith Barney (now Citi).He holds an MBA from INSEAD and a Law Degree from Trinity College, Oxford.In our conversation today, we cover the following as seen below- TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Introduction to Hien Goh and OpenSpace Capital1:06 The Early Days of OpenSpace Capital in 20143:02 The Southeast Asian E-Commerce Boom 5:15 Selecting the Right Founders 9:10 The TRUST Framework for Evaluating Founders14:29 What Makes A Great Founder for VCs 16:13 Investing in Gojek: Finding Indonesia's Unicorn20:05 Is AI a Bubble? 25:47 What The Dot-Com Era Can Teach US 27:30 AI Economics and New Business Models33:13 Why Focus on Cost of Distribution 35:04 Who Will Win the AI Race?40:03 The Agentic Revolution and Hian's "Hey Gorgeous" Idea 44:05 Beyond NVIDIA: The Future of AI Chips50:10 Jim Keller, The Famous Chip Ronin 54:18 Singapore's Talent Strategy in the AI Era58:59 Made in Singapore: Changing Mindsets1:03:16 Singapore Inc and Strategic Decision-Making1:05:41 Avoiding Over-Optimisation for Success1:08:21 Advice for Fresh GraduatesThis is the 60th episode Of The Front Row PodcastFull transcripts of episodes can be found here: https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/Feel free to mingle in the comments below or head to...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontrow.65/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-yap/Website: www.ykeith.comEmail: keith@frontrow65.coGet access to every episode by subscribing for free on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/keith-yap8 or Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/front-row/id1771599400

Professor Jochen Wirtz serves as Vice Dean of MBA Programmes and Professor of Marketing at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School. He holds several prestigious international appointments, including as an international fellow of the Service Research Center at Karlstad University in Sweden, an Academic Scholar at the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures at Cornell University, and a Global Faculty member of the Center for Services Leadership at Arizona State University.In our conversation today, we TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Trailer & Intro00:49 What The Re-Industrialization Hype Misses03:01 Growth Sectors in Services03:21 The Importance Of The Service Economy09:06 How Singapore Emerged As A Services Hub14:50 What Makes An Excellent Service Company20:21 How Singapore Airlines Became Best In The World37:35 The Coming Technological Disruptions In Service Industries38:29 Consolidation Of Services47:28 Artificial Intelligence & Robotics53:00 Economic Implications of AI01:00:40 How does Singapore Stay Ahead 01:06:24 Advice for the Next Generation: Embracing Lifelong LearningThis is the 59th episode Of The Front Row PodcastFull transcripts of episodes can be found here: https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/Feel free to mingle in the comments below or head to...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontrow.65/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-yap/Website: www.ykeith.comEmail: keith@frontrow65.coGet access to every episode by subscribing for free on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/keith-yap8 or Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/front-row/id1771599400

Thank you for checking out The Front Row Podcast and my interview with Gita Wirjawan. Here's what the podcast sponsor, Revolut is offering: 💰Get S$50 cashback when you sign up to Revolut Business at https://www.revolut.com/rb/tfr/ before 30 Nov 2025 and top up your account. T&Cs and end date apply.Gita Wirjawan is an Indonesian entrepreneur, investment banker, and philanthropist. He is the Founder and Chairman of Ancora Group, a business group with investments spanning private equity, natural resources, real estate, and sports.Before founding Ancora in 2008, Gita held senior roles in global finance — including Vice President at Citibank Indonesia, Vice President at Goldman Sachs Singapore, and President Director at JP Morgan Indonesia.He is also the host of Endgame with Gita Wirjawan, a podcast by the School of Government and Public Policy (SGPP) Indonesia, co-produced with Visinema Pictures. Through Endgame, Gita explores ideas and conversations with visionary leaders, uncovering the stories shaping Indonesia’s bright future.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Trailer & Intro01:02 Gita's Entry Into Governance07:16 Revolut Ad08:40 What It Took To 4X Indonesia's FDI18:00 Southeast Asia's Place in Global Consciousness23:45 The Importance of STEM Education for Southeast Asia34:38 The Intellectual Gap Between China And Southeast Asia 36:23 Why China Is More Democratic Than We Think40:13 Is Technology Undermining Democracy?44:00 Shifts in Global World Order49:30 How Polarization Happens in the Digital Age51:30 Southeast Asia's Economic Future56:38 Building ASEAN Consciousness01:01:51 Advice for Future Leaders and Young Southeast AsiansThis is the 58th episode Of The Front Row PodcastFull transcripts of episodes can be found here: https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/Feel free to mingle in the comments below or head to...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontrow.65/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-yap/Website: www.ykeith.comEmail: keith@frontrow65.coGet access to every episode by subscribing for free on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/keith-yap8 or Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/front-row/id1771599400

Thank you for checking out The Front Row Podcast and my interview with Kee Lock. Here's what the podcast sponsor, Revolut is offering: 💰Get S$50 cashback when you sign up to Revolut Business at https://www.revolut.com/rb/tfr/ before 30 Nov 2025 and top up your account. T&Cs and end date apply.This is the 57th episode Of The Front Row PodcastChua Kee Lock is the Group President and Chief Executive Officer of Vertex Holdings, a Singapore-headquartered global venture capital investment holding company. He also serves as Managing Partner of Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India and as Chairman of the Vertex Growth Fund.Under his leadership, Vertex has grown into a global network of venture capital funds investing in early-stage and growth-stage technology and healthcare companies.As of today - Vertex Holdings has USD 6.8B assets under management and 300+ active portfolio companies. Some of the notable startup successes under their belt include Grab, Patsnap, Nium and Instarem. TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Intro & Trailer01:11 Kee Lock's Exposure to US Tech Ecosystem05:55 Importance of Technical Expertise in VC07:56 Revolut Ad09:22 Revitalizing Vertex Ventures13:34 Why Was Kee Lock Chosen To Run Vertex?14:46 Avoiding the Traps of Silicon Valley17:57 The Importance of Discipline in Venture Capital21:10 The Decentralized Model of Vertex Ventures26:40 Advantage of Decentralization28:42 How It Was Like To Invest In Grab31:15 How To Evaluate Founders35:48 Grading Anthony of Grab39:58 How VCs Value-Add42:47 Future of Startups in SEA46:03 Where Can Singapore Innovate And Lead?49:10 Future of Technology52:33 Disruptive Technologies On The Horizon54:34 How Singapore Can Prepare 55:10 Preparing for a Globalized Future56:12 Advice To A Fresh GraduateFull transcripts of episodes can be found here: https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/Feel free to mingle in the comments below or head to...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontrow.65/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-yap/Website: www.ykeith.comEmail: keith@frontrow65.coGet access to every episode by subscribing for free on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/keith-yap8 or Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/front-row/id1771599400

Thank you for checking out The Front Row Podcast and my interview with Patrick Mcgee. Here's what the podcast sponsor, Revolut is offering: 💰Get S$50 cashback when you sign up to Revolut Business at www.revolut.com/rb/tfr/ before 30 Nov 2025 and top up your account. T&Cs and end date apply.(This is also the first sponsorship I have taken since the inception of the podcast. Your support will help me grow the podcast) Patrick McGee is a business journalist who has spent over a decade uncovering the stories behind the technology we use every day. Since 2013, he's written for the Financial Times from Hong Kong, Germany, and California, covering everything from Apple's inner workings to the rise of electric vehicles and the Volkswagen diesel scandal.From 2019 to 2023, Patrick led the FT's coverage of Apple, earning a San Francisco Press Club Award in 2023 for his investigation into the company's HR problems. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Times of London, and several other major publications.His first book, Apple in China, draws on more than 200 interviews with former Apple executives and engineers to tell the story of how Apple's decision to build its supply chain in China has increasingly left the company exposed in an age of increased geopolitical tensions between the US and china. Spanning three decades and featuring new details and vivid characters, the book offers a sobering look at Apple's future and the broader state of play in tech and geopolitics. What I like about Apple in China is that it goes beyond the usual executive biographies and fleshes out the increasing convergence between economics, technology and geopolitics. It's both a detailed historical account and an exciting read. TIMESTAMPS:0:00 Intro & Trailer

1:42 Why Apple's Manufacturing Legacy Is Misunderstood

6:21 A Message From Revolut

7:46 How Steve Jobs Lost Manufacturing Control

11:35 The Dot-Com Crisis And Its Impact On Apple

18:49 America's Post-WWII Economic Transition

27:52 Foxconn: The Unsung Partner Behind Apple's Success

33:52 Apple Was Ignorant About China

38:02 Beijing's Strategy Towards Apple

40:48 Apple's Economic Weight In China

46:46 Addressing Critiques of Patrick's China Numbers

49:42 US-China Interdependence

53:37 Why China's Scale Created Unique Challenges

57:51 Can Apple Ever Escape China Dependence

1:01:40 Advice To A Fresh GraduateThis is the 56th episode Of The Front Row PodcastFull transcripts of episodes can be found here: https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/Feel free to mingle in the comments below or head to...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontrow.65/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-yap/Website: www.ykeith.comEmail: keith@frontrow65.coGet access to every episode by subscribing for free on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/keith-yap8 or Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/front-row/id1771599400

Thank you for checking out The Front Row Podcast and my interview with Kyle Chan.

Here's what the podcast sponsor, Revolut is offering: 💰Get S$50 cashback when you sign up to Revolut Business at www.revolut.com/rb/tfr/ before 30 Nov 2025 and top up your account.

T&Cs and end date apply.

(This is also the first sponsorship I have taken since the inception of the podcast. Your support will help me grow the podcast)

Kyle Chan is an American sociologist and postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University, as well as an adjunct researcher at the RAND Corporation.

He is also a 2025 fellow with the Penn Project on the Future of U.S.–China Relations.

His research centers on industrial policy, clean technology, and infrastructure in China and India, with work published in journals such as Current Sociology, Asian Survey, and the Chinese Journal of Sociology.

Kyle has testified before the U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission and contributes to public debates through his widely read newsletter High Capacity and a New York Times op-ed on U.S.–China competition and technology.

You can find his newsletter here: https://www.high-capacity.com/about

This Is Episode 55 of The Front Row Podcast

Timestamps:
00:00 Trailer & Intro
01:00 The Utility Of Sociology
05:34 Revolut Ad
07:00 Insights From China's HSR Projects
11:17 Understanding The China Shock
17:16 Made in China 2025: A Shift in Policy
22:24 Divergence From The East Asian Model
26:08 Compounding Effects of Overlapping Industries
29:25 The Rise of Swiss Army Knife Companies
33:02 Why Apple Abandoned EVs
37:11 The US Service Economy vs. Manufacturing
42:57 Goals for US Industrial Policy
43:29 How China Resolves Tech Inequality
48:13 US Policy Attempts At Reducing Inequality
53:34 Lessons from China's Industrial Policy
58:17 Is There An AI Race Between US and China?
01:03:58 How China and US Diverge In AI?
01:10:16 What Should US-China Relations Be Like?
01:17:00 Will America Become Irrelevant?
01:24:35 What US' China Strategy Should Be
01:26:55 Advice For Fresh Graduates

📖 Full episode transcripts: ykeith.com/tag/podcast

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LinkedIn: Keith Yap
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💰 Get S$50 cashback when you sign up to Revolut Business at www.revolut.com/rb/tfr/ before 30 Nov 2025 and top up your account. T&Cs and end date apply.

This is a recording of a conversation I had with Prof Kishore Mahbubani at an event I co-organized with Bloomberg Singapore and Thinksuite. I hope you will enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

Thank you Bloomberg and Thinksuite for your support of the podcast.

Kishore Mahbubani is a Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute (ARI), National University of Singapore (NUS). Mr Mahbubani has been privileged to enjoy two distinct careers, in diplomacy (1971 to 2004) and in academia (2004 to 2019).

He is a prolific writer who has spoken in many corners of the world. In diplomacy, he was with the Singapore Foreign Service for 33 years (1971 to 2004). He had postings in Cambodia, Malaysia, Washington DC and New York, where he twice was Singapore's Ambassador to the UN and served as President of the UN Security Council in January 2001 and May 2002.

He was Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Ministry from 1993 to 1998.

Mr Mahbubani joined academia in 2004, when he was appointed the Founding Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School), NUS. He was Dean from 2004 to 2017, and a Professor in the Practice of Public Policy from 2006 to 2019.

This is the 54th episode of The Front Row Podcast.

CHAPTERS: 00:00 Trailer & Intro00:50 The Trauma of War in Cambodia05:47 Revolut Business Ad07:12 Learning From S Rajaratnam In Cuba13:52 Experiences at the United Nations21:32 Winners and Losers Of Trump's Trade Wars36:37 Are We In The Asian Century?43:49 Will The US Decline?44:50 Role Of Gulf Countries45:34 Pragmatism vs. Idealism46:06 Kishore's Answers51:09 What Keeps Kishore Up At Night?51:32 Will China Force Everyone To Be Protectionist52:44 Advice For Young Singaporeans53:19 Economic Fallout for US on Tariffs53:42 Kishore's Answers 2

Feel free to mingle in the comments below or head to...

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Note: Prof Kishore misspoke early on refering to S Rajaratnam as Prime Minister but in fact, he meant to say Foreign Minister.

Marc Levinson is an American economist, historian, and author celebrated for his accessible writing on economic forces and globalization.He’s authored seven acclaimed books, notably:The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger, a groundbreaking history of containerization that reshaped global trade. It was shortlisted for the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year and earned top honors in industry publication awardsOutside the Box: How Globalization Changed from Moving Stuff to Spreading Ideas, which argues that globalization is evolving—from physical goods toward the global exchange of ideas and services Other notable works include An Extraordinary Time (on the economic disappointments of the 1970s) and The Great A&P and the Struggle for Small Business in America.He is considered to be a leading expert in the economic history of globalization. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Trailer 00:23 The Early Waves of Globalization07:15 Innovations That Shaped Trade14:16 The Role of Containerization22:21 Malcolm McLean: The Entrepreneur Behind the Box30:07 Impact of Containerization on Port Cities33:07 Lessons from Past Disruptions39:26 The Evolution of Ports and Automation46:05 Globalization and the Rise of Value Chains52:20 Deindustrialization and Its Impacts58:07 The Future of Globalization and Policy Responses01:05:19 Advice for Fresh GraduatesThis is the 53rd episode of The Front Row Podcast.

Professor Tansen Sen is a renowned historian of India–China relations and Asian interconnections. He is Professor of History at NYU Shanghai and Director of the Center for Global Asia. His research spans Sino-Indian interactions, Buddhism across Asia, and maritime networks that shaped the region’s history.

He is the author of Buddhism, Diplomacy, and Trade: The Realignment of Sino-Indian Relations, 600–1400 and India, China, and the World: A Connected History, both foundational works in the study of Asia’s past and its global links. He is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading historians in Sino-Indian relations.

TIMESTAMPS:00:00 – Trailer
00:53 – The Importance of India-China Relations
02:46 – Understanding Pre-Modern Interactions
08:26 – How Xuan Zang Brought Buddhism To China
12:21 – The Sinicisation of Buddhism
19:34 – How Sinicisation Works Today
22:49 – How Was Nalanda University Like?
26:23 – Why Does It Look Like India Influenced China More?
30:07 – Impact of India and China on The World
32:22 – Colonial Impact on India-China Relations
39:32 – The Birth of Nation States and Historical Narratives
41:37 – Border Issues and Trust Deficits
45:24 – Flashpoints of Distrust Since Independence
52:42 – Pathways to Improved Relations
59:19 – Advice For A Fresh Graduate

This is the 52nd episode of The Front Row Podcast.

Full transcripts can be found here:
https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/

Connect with us:
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Cheong Yip Seng is the former Editor-in-Chief of The Straits Times, Singapore’s flagship English daily, where he led the newsroom for over two decades.

Joining the paper as a young journalist, he rose through the ranks to shape its editorial direction during some of Singapore’s most pivotal years.

Under his leadership, The Straits Times navigated the complexities of reporting in a young nation, balancing journalistic integrity with national sensitivities.

He later chronicled his experiences in his memoir OB Markers: My Straits Times Story, offering a rare insider’s perspective on Singapore’s media–government relationship.

Beyond his work in Singapore, he has also been closely involved with media developments across Asia, including advisory roles on the transformation of the South China Morning Post.

He recently published his follow-up book, Ink and Influence- arguing that Singapore media can take a more international and geopolitical outlook.

📄 Full Transcript :⁠https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/⁠

📲 Let’s Connect:Instagram: ⁠@frontrow.65

⁠LinkedIn: ⁠Keith Yap

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Stephen Witt is a Los Angeles–based investigative journalist and author whose work appears regularly in The New Yorker.

His latest book, The Thinking Machine (April 2025), chronicles the extraordinary rise of Nvidia and its CEO Jensen Huang—from immigrant dishwasher to leader of the world’s most valuable company. Stanford’s former computer science chair Bill Dally remarked: “Without Jensen we’d be ten years behind.”

Witt’s previous book, How Music Got Free, explored the digital revolution that transformed the music industry and was later adapted into a TV documentary.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Trailer 01:00 How Stephen Got To Jensen Huang
06:35 Reading In An Age of Social Media
08:15 How NVIDIA Became So Valuable
12:25 Jensen Huang's Early Career and Its Impact13:48 Jensen Huang's Early Career17:15 The Secret of NVIDIA's Success18:06 Jensen Huang's Unique Management Style20:41 How LSI Made Him21:51 Why NVIDIA Didn't Make Financial Sense24:52 How NVIDIA Made The AI Transition30:58 How Jensen Leads
34:35 How Jensen Evolved Into A Business Leader37:38 How Jensen Knew To Double Down on AI43:53 NVIDIA's Competitive Edge47:36 Current AI Bottleneck48:23 AMD vs NVIDIA50:52 NVIDIA in China52:25 Intel's Downfall56:05 Should We Be Worried About AI60:43 Advice for the Next Generation

Full transcripts: https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/

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🎙️ Guest: Ooi Kee Beng | Political Historian & Executive Director, Penang Institute
Ooi Kee Beng is a political historian, writer, and the executive director of Penang Institute. He has spent years studying the process of nation-building in Asia and is the author of In Lieu of Ideology: Dr Goh Keng Swee's Intellectual Biography.

In this episode, we explore the ideas of Singapore’s founding economic architect—Dr Goh Keng Swee—and how his core beliefs shaped Singapore’s development.

⏱ Timestamps
01:21 – Why Read History
03:52 – Goh Keng Swee vs. Lee Kuan Yew
09:10 – The Leaders As Nation Builders
11:10 – Avoiding Corruption
16:42 – Why Singapore Was A Social Revolution
21:45 – Where Goh Keng Swee Diverged In Economics
23:38 – Why Western Hippie Culture Didn't Take Root Here
26:42 – Geopolitical Dynamics and Historical Awareness
29:45 – Export-Oriented Industrialization vs. Import Substitution
35:25 – The Role of Institutions in Nation Building
36:42 – Could Merger Have Worked
38:54 – The Political Economy of Singapore
42:28 – The Importance of a Common Market
43:54 – Ideology vs. Pragmatism in Leadership
46:15 – Defining 'Socialism That Works'
50:24 – Singapore's State Building Efforts
52:37 – Ensuring A Rule Of Law
55:45 – Creating A National Identity
59:07 – Building a National Economy
01:01:17 – Harsh Reality of Raw Power
01:02:09 – Lessons from Dr. Goh's Leadership
01:05:06 – Book Recommendations
01:07:54 – Advice For A Fresh Graduate Entering The Working World

📄 Full Transcript:
https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/

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🎙️ Guest: David Fishman | Principal, The Lantau Group
David Fishman is a Principal at The Lantau Group, a boutique strategy and economic consultancy focused on the Asia Pacific energy sector.

He specializes in regulatory and economic intelligence for the Chinese power sector—including solar, wind, coal, nuclear, hydro, grid transmission, and power markets. His project portfolio spans renewable tariff policy, power market forecasting, green energy procurement for multinationals, and due diligence for clean energy assets.

Outside of work, David runs a delightful blog exploring lesser-known corners of China’s economic transformation—covering topics like rural poverty alleviation, small-city trends, countryside solar, rural rejuvenation, and ethnic tourism.

⏱️ Timestamps
01:13 – China's Energy Landscape
06:09 – The Global Implications of China's Energy Transition
09:00 – How China Scales Green Tech
14:09 – How China Innovates
20:40 – Is Overcapacity A Challenge?
24:57 – China's Energy Policy
28:21 – Chinese Government As VC
29:40 – Why Are SOEs Not As Prominent?
33:03 – Downstream Impact of Chinese Policies
34:15 – What Happens After China Peaks?
34:34 – China's Clean Tech Transition: The Road Ahead
37:19 – Can China Turn The Corner?
38:20 – Understanding the Average Chinese Citizen
44:34 – The Median City In China
48:11 – The Practical Implementation of Common Prosperity
50:39 – How China Does Infrastructure Development
57:20 – The Myth of Chinese Ghost Cities
01:00:24 – Lessons From China's Development Model
01:05:51 – Advice For A Fresh Graduate

📄 Full Transcript:
https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/

📲 Let’s Connect:
Instagram: @frontrow.65
LinkedIn: Keith Yap
Website: www.ykeith.com
Email: keith@frontrow65.co

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🎙️ Ambassador Chan Heng Chee is a prominent Singaporean academic, diplomat, and political scientist, known for her distinguished career in both academia and public service.

She served as Singapore's Ambassador to the United States (1996–2012) and earlier as Permanent Representative to the United Nations (1989–1991), concurrently holding the roles of High Commissioner to Canada and Ambassador to Mexico.

She currently serves as Ambassador-at-Large with the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

🧭 This conversation is brought to you by the National Youth Council of Singapore, a government agency dedicated to partnering with young people — hearing their views, empowering them to act on their passions, and giving them a stake in Singapore’s future.
🔗 Learn more: https://www.nyc.gov.sg/about-us

🎧 This is Episode 47 of The Front Row Podcast.

🕒 Timestamps:
00:00 Intro & Trailer
01:25 Singapore In 1965
06:43 Lessons From 1G Leaders
09:40 Would The Merger Have Actually Worked
13:54 Representing Singapore At The UN
21:34 Singapore's National Interests
25:54 Securing Singapore's Interests
29:25 Singapore As Global City
33:13 America's Unipolar Moment
35:57 Remaking Singapore's Image in America
40:38 Luck & Diplomacy
43:10 How America Has Changed
44:44 Will America Swing Back?
47:20 China's Rise and Its Global Implications
50:01 How Does Singapore Play Both Sides
52:15 US-China Decoupling?
55:03 The Role of the UN in Global Conflicts
57:08 Singapore's Relevance to the United States
59:05 The Taiwan Question
01:04:00 Middle East Dynamics: Change and Continuity
01:04:28 What Counts As Political Realism
01:05:39 Making Sense Of The Middle East
01:09:41 New Forms of Diplomacy
01:12:15 Amb Chan's Message To The US
01:19:00 Core Values for Singaporeans in a Complex World
01:19:35 Multiracialism As A Singaporean Ideal
01:20:32 Advice For The Audience
01:22:51 Goh Keng Swee's Final Speech

📝 Full transcript:
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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/front-row/id1771599400

Jamus Lim is an Associate Professor of Economics at ESSEC Business School and a Member of Parliament in Singapore. With a PhD from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and experience at the World Bank and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority , his work spans international economics, political economy, and development. In this episode, we discuss how Singapore and other NIEs succeeded and what the possible ways forward are. 00:00 Intro & Trailer 01:43 Why NIEs02:22 Understanding Heterogeneity Among Asian Economies06:36 The Contrast Between Singapore and Other NIEs08:16 Hong Kong vs. Singapore: Economic Divergence16:17 Was The Asian Miracle A Myth?20:49 India's Unique Economic Experiment24:41 How Singapore Can Stay Ahead28:04 Balancing Growth and Equality33:23 Are Wealth Taxes (Actually) Viable?47:31 The Tension of Being A Global Hub56:58 Urgent Problems Singapore Needs To Solve01:05:48 Advice For Graduating StudentsThis is Episode 46 of The Front Row Podcast. Full transcripts of episodes can be found here: https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/Feel free to mingle in the comments below or head to...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontrow.65/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-yap/Website: www.ykeith.comEmail: keith@frontrow65.coGet access to every episode by subscribing for free on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/keith-yap8 or Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/front-row/id1771599400

Professor Elizabeth Ingleson is a historian of capitalism, US foreign relations, and US–China relations — a timely and critical intersection she explores in her acclaimed first book, Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged to Transform Global Trade, published by Harvard University Press in 2024.In the book, she unpacks a pivotal shift in the 1970s: when the old dream of American companies selling to China’s vast population gave way to a new vision — one of tapping into China’s massive labour force. Drawing on rare corporate archives and extensive Chinese publications, Made in China reveals how business leaders, diplomats, traders, and policymakers on both sides helped reshape China’s role in global capitalism — and, in the process, redefined the American economy itself through deindustrialization and offshoring.TIMESTAMPS:01:52 - Deng's Legacy 02:29 - Why 1978 Isn't the Real Beginning07:46 - The Two Nixon Shocks of 197114:26 - From 400 Million Customers to 800 Million Workers17:43 - Mao's Three Worlds Theory23:43 - Trade vs Diplomacy in US & China 27:27 - The Marco Polos of America 33:41 - Why MNCs Burned Cash In The Early Days38:10 - The Textile Industry As The Canaries in the Coal Mine47:07 - The 1974 Trade Act That Changed Everything55:39 - Rethinking the Good Life57:13 - Manufacturing Jobs: Political Theatre vs Reality1:00:30 - Decoupling: Rhetoric vs Reality1:03:51 - Advice for Graduating Students Full transcripts of episodes can be found here: https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/Feel free to mingle in the comments below or head to...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontrow.65/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-yap/Website: www.ykeith.comEmail: keith@frontrow65.coGet access to every episode by subscribing for free on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/keith-yap8 or Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/front-row/id1771599400

Professor Joseph Chinyong Liow is one of Singapore’s leading scholars on international affairs, known for his incisive analysis of Southeast Asian politics. He is serving as the Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), where he now holds the prestigious Tan Kah Kee Chair in Comparative and International Politics. He was the former Dean of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at NTU.Beyond Singapore, Professor Liow has made a significant impact globally. He was the inaugural Lee Kuan Yew Chair in Southeast Asia Studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., where he also served as a Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Program. TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Trailer & Intro01:21 Defining Great Powers05:33 Cold War Dynamics in Southeast Asia08:41 Formation of ASEAN and US Engagement15:05 ASEAN's Response to Changing Landscapes19:44 Vietnam As A Case-Study26:58 American Unipolar Moment31:55 Is The US Values-Driven?38:49 Do Southeast Asian States Even Want America Here?44:56 Singapore's Role in U.S.-China Relations53:12 ASEAN's Future: Collective Action in a Changing Landscape54:49 Advice For Graduating StudentsFull transcripts of episodes can be found here: https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/Feel free to mingle in the comments below or head to...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontrow.65/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-yap/Website: www.ykeith.comEmail: keith@frontrow65.coGet access to every episode by subscribing for free on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/keith-yap8 or Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/front-row/id1771599400

Cedric Chin is the CEO & Founder of Commoncog. Commoncog is a publication dedicated to accelerating business expertise.Commoncog asks two questions: a) what is business expertise? b) what do we know about accelerating it?In this conversation, Cedric and I dive into how Asian tycoons are made and the essential skills business operators must master in Southeast Asia. TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Trailer & Intro

01:10 Understanding Business Expertise 

05:33 The Triad of Business Expertise 

10:49 What Business School Misses Out 

14:52 Why Are There So Many Conglomerates in SoutheastAsia? 

20:11 Not Everything Is About Corruption 

23:48 What Makes A Good Tycoon? 

29:03 Why Tycoons Are Politically Shrewd 

31:37 Unique Features About Southeast Asian Markets 

35:22 Kwek Leng Beng's Business Acumen 

39:08 The Allure of Startups 

41:41 How Robert Kuok Succeeded 

46:07 Will There Be More Asian Tycoons? 

49:09 What We Can Learn from Constellation Software 

54:59 Cultivating Intellectual Dexterity 

01:02:14 Advice For Fresh Graduate

Full transcripts of episodes can be found here: https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/Feel free to mingle in the comments below or head to...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontrow.65/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-yap/Website: www.ykeith.comEmail: keith@frontrow65.co

Karthik Nachiappan is a Research Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), National University of Singapore. His work focuses on India’s foreign and economic policy, particularly in trade, technology, and global governance. He is the author of Does India Negotiate? (Oxford University Press)In this episode, we talk about the policy interests of India, the role it seeks to play on a global stage and how it manages its own interest as a strategically autonomous power.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction

01:03 How To Understand India

05:42 India's Core Interests

09:16 India's Strengths in a Multipolar World

13:02 Is India Obstructionist?

20:10 The India-Pakistan Conflict: A Historical Perspective

28:12 The Role of China in South Asia

33:31 India's Strategic Ambiguity

35:22 India's Economic Growth Challenges

43:35 India's Future Relationship with Singapore & Southeast Asia

49:25 Advice for Young Graduates

Full transcripts of episodes can be found here: https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/

Professor Euston Quah is a prominent Singaporean economist and the Albert Winsemius Chair Professor of Economics at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), where he also serves as Head of the Economics Division.

Known for his work in cost-benefit analysis, environmental economics, and policy economics, he has advised various government agencies and chaired national committees in Singapore.

His research often bridges economic theory with practical policymaking, particularly in sustainability, public infrastructure, and regulatory impact.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction

01:30 Who Is Albert Winsemius?

05:55 How Albert Winsemius Made Singapore Better

20:35 The Art of Economic Advising

27:56 Market Failures and State Intervention

30:12 Intellectual Tradition of Economics in Singapore

31:06 Singapore's Entrance Into An Uncertain World

34:27 Why Cost-Benefit Analysis

42:22 How To Appraise Costs & Benefits

45:37 Limitations of Cost-Benefit Analysis

51:54 How Valuation Works

54:08 Why Sensitivity Analysis

60:09 Advice for Graduates Entering the Workforce