【Time】May 29, 2026(Friday) 12:00-13:00

【Venue】Room302,Tsinghua SPPM

【Language】English(no interpretation)

【Host】School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University

【Speaker】Siddharth Chatterjee

Chief Executive Officer, Global Neighbours

Former UN Resident Coordinator in China

Distinguished Visiting Professor, School of Public Policy and Management & Schwarzman College，Tsinghua University

【Moderator】Junming Zhu

Associate Professor and Associate Dean, School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University

【Commentator】Yingbo Li

Professor,School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University

【Meeting Introduction】

We are living through a "polycrisis" where the traditional levers of global governance are stalling. As the world grapples with geoeconomic fragmentation and the risk of a "New Cold War," the relationship between China and the rest of the world has become the defining axis of 21st-century stability. In this Distinguished Lecture, Siddharth Chatterjee explores how the Asia-Pacific—led by the complex interplay of China’s global rise—can move from a site of competition to a cornerstone of a revitalized international system. Drawing on his tenure as the UN Resident Coordinator in China (2021–2026) and his course at Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University, Chatterjee argues that "Old Power" structures are insufficient for "New Era" challenges. He posits that a new generation of leaders must emerge—leaders who possess the "warrior's discipline" but act with the "diplomat's empathy."

The lecture will examine:

• The China-Global South Nexus: How regional cooperation can provide a blueprint for global solidarity.

• The Technology Frontier: Navigating the ethical and polarized landscape of AI and green tech.

• The Human Element: Why compassion, dignity, and shared humanity (the Ubuntu philosophy) are pragmatic tools for hard-nosed diplomacy.

Chatterjee offers a roadmap for navigating a polarized world, suggesting that the path forward lies in a "Multilateralism 2.0" that is inclusive, empathetic, and anchored in the Asia-Pacific’s unique capacity for innovation and resilience.

【Speaker Introduction】

Siddharth Chatterjee is the Chief Executive Officer of Global Neighbours, a think tank that advances closer Europe, China and Asia cooperation through 2 track diplomacy. A career international civil servant, he served for nearly three decades in the United Nations, most recently as the UN Resident Coordinator in China. He has spent most of his career in some of the most fragile parts of the world. He is also a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University, where he teaches a course on "China and the World." He is a graduate of Princeton University, USA.  He is widely recognized for his work in the humanitarian demobilization of child soldiers in the midst of a conflict in South Sudan. He is also an advocate for health and well-being.