FEATURING:Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, Vice President of the Asian Development BankAshok Sharma, Senior Director of the Asian Development Bank’s Office of Regional Economic IntegrationPierre Vimont, Executive Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS)Asia’s historic transformation continues to mesmerise. Based on current trends, by 2050 the region could regain the dominant economic position it held some 300 years ago before the industrial revolution. But, Asia’s rise is by no means preordained. As the Asian Development Bank (ADB) highlights in its newly-launched publication “Asia 2050: Realizing the Asian Century”, the region must overcome myriad challenges if Asians are to take their place among the ranks of the affluent in Europe and North America. Our debate will look, among other questions, at the risks facing Asia’s fast-growing economies and consider whether countries like China, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia can continue on the current trajectory or fall victim to the “middle-income trap” of slow growth and stagnation. Can Europe help Asians to tackle expected bottlenecks? What role is European business playing in the Asian Century?For more information please visit our event web page.