About the Public Lecture

Southeast Asia is one of the most dynamic regions in the world. To maintain this dynamism, its foreign relations and alliances with various international actors are a strategic factor. Chile has been one of those partners with a long tradition of mutually beneficial cooperation in Southeast Asia. In this lecture titled “Chile-Southeast Asia Relations: Fulfilling Opportunities”, the challenges and opportunities of the relationship between Chile and Southeast Asia will be addressed, looking at the status of Chile as ASEAN Development Partner and the broader opportunities between the Latin American region and Southeast Asia in fostering economic and political cooperation from the Global South.

About the Speaker

Alex Wetzig Abdale holds a degree in History and is a Professor of History and Geography from the Catholic University of Valparaíso. He has post-graduate studies in Social Sciences at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (Flacso) and in International Studies at the Diplomatic School of Spain – Complutense University of Madrid.

Graduated from the Diplomatic Academy “Andrés Bello”, he has served in the Chilean Embassies in the Czech Republic and France; in the Mission to the European Union, in Belgium, and in the Delegation to Unesco, where he was Deputy Permanent Representative.

In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has worked in the Directorates of South America, Planning, General of Foreign Policy, General of International Economic Relations and in the Cabinet of the Minister. He was Director of Energy, Science and Technology and Innovation and since last March 11, he has served as Secretary General of Foreign Policy.

About the Moderator

Kaewkamol “Karen” Pitakdumrongkit is Head and Assistant Professor at the Centre for Multilateralism Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. She is also a Non-Resident Fellow at the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR), U.S.A.

Her research interests include international economic negotiation, Indo-Pacific economic governance and integration, regional-global economic governance dynamics, ASEAN Economic Community, and ASEAN’s external relations (ASEAN-Plus frameworks). She has published in various outlets such as The Singapore Economic Review, The International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, The Pacific Review, Australian Outlook, Review of International Political Economy, The Diplomat, and East Asia Forum. Her media interviews include Bangkok Post, Bloomberg, Business Times, Channel News Asia, CNBC Asia-Pacific, New Straits Times, The Strait Times, South China Morning Post, and Xinhua.

Besides publications and media engagement, Dr. Karen organized several capacity-building programmes such as the Annual RSIS-World Trade Organization (WTO) Parliamentarian Workshops in Singapore, and In-Country Workshops on Technical Trade Issues which are tailored to the specific needs of the trade officials in Asian countries. She was also part of the team involved in composing the elements of the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025. In addition, Dr. Karen teaches modules at the RSIS MSc International Political Economy programme, and occasionally provides briefings to international diplomats and military students at Singapore’s Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College.