Munich Young Leaders meet for virtual discussion on security challenges in Asia

On September 17, 2020, around 50 alumni of the Munich Young Leaders (MYL), a joint program of the Munich Security Conference and the Körber-Stiftung, gathered for a virtual discussion event. The MYL include current and potential leaders in governmental institutions, parliaments, think tanks, the media, and the private sector from all over the world. Under the headline "MYL Around the World: Zoom in on Asia", the MYL alumni discussed with guest speaker Linda Reynolds, Australian Minister of Defence, and among themselves the various security challenges currently facing the Asian continent and the possibilities of meeting them through multilateral cooperation – a central theme of the MYL program.

This first digital meeting of the MYL alumni was kicked off with a keynote address by Australian Minister of Defence Linda Reynolds. She explained from her country's perspective the changing security situation in the Indo-Pacific and the prospects for regional cooperation in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, rising US-Chinese tensions and technological advances, and then answered questions from participants. For the second half of the event, the participants formed "breakout sessions" to discuss three key topics in further depth: US-China relations and their impact on the broader Asian security environment; the events surrounding the restriction of civil rights in Hong Kong and the European response; and the growing importance of India as a partner and driver of regional cooperation. By way of conclusion, the event also gave the alumni the opportunity to talk in an informal and personal setting and thus cultivate long-standing acquaintances from around the world.

The event was the first in a series of digital "MYL Around the World" meetings, which will continue on October 26, 2020, with a discussion titled "Zoom in on Europe".