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Launching straight into our next session for #Warin2025 on geopolitical realities with Dr Willy Lam, @Dr_JenHunt, @le2huong, Mr Peter Varghese and @becstrating 
Dr Willy Lam begins by saying that to understand Beijing's ferocious hard power, it is important to understand domestic politics
Dr Willy Lam continues by saying that previously, China's objective was to surpass, or at least reach the US by 2049, which would mark the centenary of the foundation of the Chinese Communist Party...
... but now that timeline has changed and China aims to surpass the US by the mid-2030s
Dr Willy Lam says that the Belt and Road Initiative is not just about dominating the Indo-Pacific, but to engage in geopolitical contention with the US. This competition is also carried out through other forms of competition (eg technological competition etc)
Dr Lam also says that all Chinese citizens are potential militiamen. He considers the marriage between peacetime and warfare are important, with resources divided for peacetime and warfare purposes...
Dr Willy Lam says that at a meeting on national mobilisation, Xi Jinping gave strong indications that the Army came first, and sometimes ahead of the requirements of the party
Dr Willy Lam ends his #Warin2025 presentation by saying with this 'whole of state' approach to militarisation, China sees itself as the arbiter of world prosperity... The entire nation is dedicated to the dream of military growth
.@Dr_JenHunt begins her presentation by discussing the increasingly 'inward looking' nature of the United States. She says that social divisions exist in every country...
...but that what is different about the US is the mainstreaming of conspiracy theories which have accelerated these divisions
.@Dr_JenHunt says that in the US, we have an increasingly divided polity that disagrees on basic facts
In the middle of these attacks on basic facts, there is a public service being hollowed out. There is a lack of consistent leadership in key US departments, says @Dr_JenHunt
Following @Dr_JenHunt, Mr Peter Varghese makes a few observations about where geopolitical drivers currently sit
For decades now, we have talked about the fluidity of our strategic environment but we haven't found a settling point. We have found a tipping point says Peter Varghese #WarIn2025
Precisely because it aspires to be a dominant power in the region, China's behaviour is likely to be a mix of different elements. It will be a responsible partner when it wants to be but it's structure as a one party state will matter a great deal, says Peter Varghese
In thinking about the future of the Indo-Pacific, our starting point should be to focus on multipolarity, says Peter Varghese #WarIn2025
The US will remain the predominant economic power for the next several decades but its power is global and this means it will be diluted in the region...
...Containing China would be a mistake. We are entering a potentially dangerous era, as voices demanding containment are getting louder, says Peter Varghese #WarIn2025
Peter Varghese says that we need to find a system that can find room for China but also balances the interests of the region's democracies
For example, Indonesia is a strategic pacesetter of ASEAN. So where to position Indonesia in the evolving geostrategic system of Asia is an open question, says Peter Varghese #WarIn2025
.@le2huong says that considering Southeast Asia and the great power competition: 'When elephants fight or make love, the grass still suffers' #WarIn2025
The most common complaint heard by @le2huong is that Southeast Asian states do not want to be forced to choose. They are anxious about that choice... #WarIn2025
.@le2huong follows by saying that the choice narrative is not that simple: some states have already made that choice... The official preference of all ASEAN states is to navigate the choices of the major powers
.@le2huong says much of the dicussion of #WarIn2025 focusses on bipolarity, but that in a multipolar system Southeast Asia will have a significant stake in what will happen in the future
During the Q&A session of the #WarIn2025 conference with Dr Willie Lam, @Dr_JenHunt, Mr Peter Varghese and @le2huong, Huong states that she doesn't hear enough about greater partnerships, alliances or the rule of law in Southeast Asia...
.@le2huong uses the example of Singapore's PM Lee Hsien Loong who at the Shangri-La Dialogue said that 'the rest of the world has to adjust to the growing role of China...'
.@Dr_JenHunt says that global information space, disinformation spreads like a contagion. We have to inoculate our own citizens against global disinformation
.@Dr_JenHunt in considering the future, goes on to say that by 2040, 70% of the US will live in 15 states: which means that 37% of the population will have 70 Senators. This will be a recipe for gridlock in Congress
Dr Willy Lam says that as a confirmed Maoist, Xi Jinping will put emphasis on militarisation of the state. One challenge he faces is ideological education to ensure that all Chinese are indoctrinated properly from infancy onwards
Mr Peter Varghese says that the Chinese government's domestic focus will always be strong because he believes that threats from the inside will always be stronger than external threats to the regime #WarIn2025
'Real power enables you to operate outside of rules' says Peter Varghese #WarIn2025
In reaching the end of our second session, Peter Varghese says that we are going to be reaching for a policy framework that constrains China. That would involve being hard-headed about the costs and benefits of our engagement with China #WarIn2025
