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Webinars and Talks Issue no. 2 | 2022
Regional Comprehensive Economic

Partnership (RCEP) and Its Future

Challenges

By AP Dr Jimmyn Parc RCEP and its significance in the
The Department of East Asian Studies invited Dr. Kim history of trade. She provided the
Minjung for an online public lecture on 2 June 2022 that participants with detailed
focused on the Regional Comprehensive Economic information regarding coverage, Dr. Kim Minjung
Partnership (RCEP) which came into effect on 1 January tariff, trade barriers, trade remedies as well as digital trade
2022. The RCEP is the world’s largest free trade related-issues. In particular, she shared her insights on the
agreement as it covers nearly a third of the global international trade linked to geopolitical issues covering
population (including China, Japan, Korea, and Malaysia) the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD or QUAD), a
and about 30 percent of its global gross domestic product. strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan,
and the United States, and the Indo-Pacific Economic
Dr. Kim is a Research Professor of Korea National Research Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), an economic initiative,
Foundation, Senior Research Fellow of the Institute of that was launched by United States President Joe Biden
International Affairs, and a Lecturer at the Graduate School on May 23, 2022.
of International Studies, both are part of Seoul National
University, South Korea. For the last 15 years, she has This rich public lecture with a timely topic was not only of
worked with Professor Dukgeun Ahn, the new minister for grafting interest for students on this matter, but also
trade of the Republic of Korea, on a number of projects highlighted the importance of East Asian Studies due to its
related to international trade and trade laws. During the important pivoting role to understand various real-world
lecture, Dr. Kim firstly described the brief history of the issues and deepen analysis on them.

Speak Up!: A Conversation On Gender Based Violence

By Dr Lai Suat Yan

adjudicate complaints of sexual harassment based on a
balance of probabilities (civil standard of proof) rather than
beyond reasonable doubt (criminal standard of proof).
This takes into account the dynamics of sexual harassment
cases where typically there is no witness and physical
evidence making it impossible to meet the criminal
standard of proof in most cases.

Dr Lai also highlighted a few shortcomings of the present
Bill that includes the absence of protection for victims from
retaliation and the absence of the mandate on the duties
and obligation of organisations to prevent sexual
harassment. Socio-cultural norms that normalize sexual
harassment such as considering it as a harmless joke or
blaming the victim for inviting it were also discussed.
Dr Lai Suat Yan from the Gender Studies Program, was a
panelist to provide her insights on gender-based violence The other two panelists were Aliya Ashiqin, Co-founder of
on 24 May 2022 for the event Speak Up! organized by the StandUp Malaysia and Asrawati Awalina Aslan, the
Serdang Royals Debate Club (SRDC), and the Student Services and Research officer of the All Women’s Action
Affairs Division, Universiti Putra Malaysia. Commenting on Society (AWAM). They highlighted the prevalence of
the Malaysia’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill that was tabled gender-based violence in Malaysia and the work done by
in Parliament for its first reading on 15 December 2021, non-governmental organizations to address it. The
she highlighted its significance that includes emphasising important roles of the police to receive and investigate
that sexual harassment is unacceptable and the reports of such cases in a gender sensitised manner were
standardisation of the procedure in handling such cases. also discussed. The event was hosted on SRDC youtube
Significantly, there is also provision for a tribunal to and facebook with around 350 students in attendance.

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