Kishore Mahbubani: Living the Asian Century | 聯合早報

Growing up in poverty in the 1950s, Kishore Mahbubani expected to become a common textile salesman after finishing high school. Instead, a government scholarship sent him to the University of Singapore, and four years later he found himself in the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Meanwhile, almost none of Mahbubani’s cousins, scattered around the world after India’s brutal partition, from Guyana to Hong Kong, would complete university.

During this same period, Singapore itself was undergoing a metamorphosis. Granted internal self-governance in 1959 and achieving full independence six years later, the country came of age alongside Mahbubani. And as his star rose, so did the nation’s.

In Living the Asian Century, Mahbubani vividly chronicles his own life going from a poor childhood in a multiethnic neighborhood to an illustrious diplomatic career that led him far from Singapore, from Cambodia to Australia, Malaysia to the United States and the UN-including the pinnacle of influence, the Security Council.

Along the way Mahbubani has become one of Asia’s most widely known commentators and spokespeople, with a unique perspective that straddles India, China, and the West.

About the author:Kishore Mahbubani is a Singaporean diplomat and geopolitical consultant. He served as Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the UN (1984–1989, 1998–2004) and was President of the UN Security Council (2001–2002). From 2004 to 2017, he was Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. After stepping down, he took a sabbatical at institutions including Harvard and now serves as a Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute. In 2019, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

【City Reading@SG 2025】Book Sharing: Living the Asian CenturyAuthor: Kishore MahbubaniModerator: Chow Yian Ping (Editor, ThinkChina)　　

Date: 2 July 2025 (Wednesday)Time: 4.30pm – 6:00pmVenue: The Arts House, ChamberRegistration Fee: $5 (inclusive of $5 Popular book voucher)Registration Site: https://go.cityreading.sg/cr2025_km

Note: Only registered participants will receive a book voucher upon check-in.

----------------------------------------------------------馬凱碩成長於1950年代物資匱乏的年代，原以為高中畢業後會成為一名普通的紡織品推銷員，直到一項政府獎學金改變了他的命運。他得以前往新加坡大學深造，四年後加入新加坡外交部。而他的堂表兄弟姐妹，在印度分治後散落全球，從圭亞那到香港，鮮有人完成大學學業。

彼時的新加坡也在經歷劇變：1959年實現自治，六年後獨立。國家與馬凱碩一同成長，他的事業騰飛之際，新加坡的國際地位也日益提升。

在回憶錄 Living the Asian Century: An Undiplomatic Memoir 中，馬凱碩生動講述了自己如何從一個生活在多元族羣社區的貧困孩童，成長為一名卓越外交官。他的足跡遍及柬埔寨、澳大利亞、馬來西亞、美國，直至聯合國安理會。

一路走來，他不僅是外交官，更成為亞洲最具影響力的評論者與代言人之一，憑藉獨特的印度、中國與西方視角，發出了亞洲的聲音。

【城市閲讀節2025】新書分享會：Living the Asian Century主講：基肖爾-馬布巴尼對講：周雁冰 （思想中國主編）

日期：2025年7月2日（星期三）時間：下午4時30分至6時地點：The Arts House, Chamber報名費：5元（贈送一張5元大眾書局書券）報名鏈接：https://go.cityreading.sg/cr2025_km

備註：唯有成功報名者，現場簽到時可獲得書券。講座以英語進行。