Tricontinental Dialogue in Singapour: How Geopolitics is Reshaping Boardroom Decisions

Following the high-profile Asian Conference of the "Tricontinental Dialogue," Reetika Gupta, Deputy Dean of ESSEC Asia-Pacific, and Thomas Friang, Executive Director of the Geopolitics & Business Institute, share their insights on this unique initiative and the key takeaways from the event.

1- The Tricontinental Dialogue, the flagship event of the Geopolitics & Business Institute, recently wrapped up its latest edition in Singapore. Could you reflect on the core objectives of this unprecedented initiative, which bridges our campuses across Europe, Africa, and Asia?

Thomas FRIANG - ESSEC Business School has a major asset: it is a global school with European roots. With campuses in France, Singapore, and Rabat, it benefits from three complementary strategic lookout points to analyze major geopolitical transformations and their impact on the business environment.

The Tricontinental Dialogue, which I lead for the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business, reflects this ambition. That is how we designed it alongside Prof. Hugues Levecq, head of ESSEC Africa, and Prof. Reetika Gupta, head of ESSEC Asia-Pacific. Each year, we select a global geoeconomic issue and analyze it through three regional perspectives - European, Asian, and African - to fully grasp its complexity.

The first edition was dedicated to US-China strategic rivalries, one of the major megatrends of post-globalization. This competition goes far beyond the diplomatic or military framework. It reshapes value chains, reconfigures corporate strategies, accelerates the race for critical technologies and resources, fuels rivalries between benchmark currencies, and pits power models against each other based on differing uses of law, standards, and extraterritoriality.

This theme was a natural choice. Aurélien Colson, Cédomir Nestorović, and I selected it during our first development mission for the Institute in Singapore in June 2025. One year later, geopolitical developments have only confirmed how relevant this choice was, along with the need to provide companies with a truly tricontinental perspective on an increasingly brutal world and its implications for executive committees.

2- The Asian leg of the Tricontinental Dialogue took place on June 10 at the ESSEC Asia-Pacific campus. How does this event align with the broader strategy for ESSEC Asia-Pacific?

Reetika GUPTA - ESSEC Asia-Pacific is committed to serving as a platform for meaningful dialogue on the most pressing global issues while fostering stronger connections between Asia and the rest of the world. Hosting the Asian leg of the Tricontinental Dialogue reflects this commitment by bringing together thought leaders, policymakers, business professionals, and academics to exchange diverse perspectives on topics that transcend borders.

The event aligns closely with ESSEC Asia-Pacific's broader strategy of positioning the Singapore campus as a regional hub for intellectual leadership, innovation, and cross-cultural collaboration. As Asia continues to play an increasingly influential role in shaping the global economy and geopolitical landscape, ESSEC aims to equip current and future leaders with a nuanced understanding of regional and international dynamics. The Tricontinental Dialogue was an excellent opportunity for constructive conversations across continents and disciplines.

Beyond its academic value, the dialogue also strengthens ESSEC's engagement with its wider ecosystem of corporate partners, public institutions, alumni, and the broader community. It reinforces the school's role as a trusted convener that bridges academia and practice, creating opportunities for knowledge exchange and joint initiatives. Ultimately, events like the Tricontinental Dialogue enhance ESSEC Asia-Pacific's visibility and impact while advancing its mission of developing responsible, globally minded leaders capable of navigating an increasingly interconnected world.

3- This conference brought together ambassadors and global business leaders. What particularly stood out to you in these discussions?

R.G. - What resonated with me most was the openness and candor of the conversations. Although the participants came from different backgrounds (diplomacy, business, and academia), there was a genuine willingness to listen to one another and engage with differing perspectives. In today's increasingly complex and uncertain world, I believe that kind of dialogue is more valuable than ever.

I was also struck by the shared recognition that many of the challenges we face, from geopolitical shifts and economic uncertainty to technological disruption and sustainability, cannot be addressed in isolation. There was a strong sense that progress will require greater cooperation across sectors and borders, with education playing an important role in bringing diverse stakeholders together.

As an educator, I found it particularly encouraging to see how closely these discussions align with what we strive to cultivate at ESSEC: leaders who are globally minded, intellectually curious, and able to navigate complexity with empathy and purpose. Events like the Tricontinental Dialogue remind us that institutes of higher learning are not just places of learning, but also conveners of important conversations that help shape ideas, build understanding, and inspire action. That, to me, was one of the most rewarding aspects of the conference.

4- ESSEC Asia-Pacific hosted leading experts on Asia to unpack how the region plans to remain competitive in a world increasingly polarized by US-China tensions. What are your primary takeaways from this session, and how do they echo the insights from the European and African conferences held in September 2025 and April 2026?

T.F. - Asia-Pacific is probably the region most exposed to the consequences of US-China strategic rivalries. In this region, many states rely on China, its market, and its capital for their economic growth, while their security depends on the United States. Businesses in the region are therefore highly sensitive to - and particularly vigilant about - tensions between Beijing and Washington. These tensions continue to escalate as the White House asserts neo-imperial ambitions and the Chinese Communist Party adopts a more assertive stance, seeking revenge for the "century of humiliation."

ESSEC Business School’s campus in Singapore is a prime vantage point for studying these developments on a regional scale. The Asian Conference of the Tricontinental Dialogue demonstrated this through the high-level keynotes of Ambassador Bilahari Kausikan, Bruce Delteil (McKinsey), and Timothy Colyer (Oliver Wyman).

What strikes me is that the European and African continents are caught in the exact same mechanism: there too, Beijing and Washington are seeking to establish their geoeconomic spheres of influence, forcing States and businesses into a "bloc mentality", along with all the economic security risks this entails. This touches the very core of what we, at the Institute, call post-globalization: the international economy has not de-globalized; it is undergoing weaponization. This fundamentally changes board dynamics and the day-to-day reality of a CEO.

5- The Asian Conference marks the conclusion of this year's Tricontinental Dialogue. In his closing remarks, Vincenzo Vinzi announced the theme for the 2026–2027 cycle: economic security. Why was this specific theme chosen?

T.F - The theme of economic security emerges as an obvious choice for the second edition of the Tricontinental Dialogue, led by the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business.

As we enter the post-globalization era, we see things increasingly clearly: international trade is not shrinking; on the contrary, it is growing. However, it is progressively regionalizing to meet the goal of de-risking value chains and the growing need for economic security.

Indeed, the global economy is undergoing weaponization: major powers are seeking to leverage all forms of economic dependency for foreign policy objectives. We are witnessing the weaponization of trade routes (Hormuz being a striking example), the weaponization of energy and technological dependencies (export controls applied to Anthropic's AI perfectly illustrate this phenomenon), and even the weaponization of capital flows, international payment systems, and ESG standards.

What is at stake for businesses is clear: securing their business model, no longer against economic competition, but against strategic competition. This will be the theme of the 2026-2027 Tricontinental Dialogue, with its European Conference taking place as early as September 16 on our Cergy campus.

6- Economic security will serve as the guiding thread for the 2026/2027 Tricontinental Dialogue. What are your expectations for this second edition, particularly regarding the Singapore campus you lead?

R.G. - I would like to see the Tricontinental Dialogue continue as a platform for conversations on issues that matter to all of us. Economic security is a timely theme because it touches so many aspects of our lives, from trade and innovation to resilience, talent, and sustainability.

For ESSEC Asia-Pacific, I hope the next edition will further strengthen our role as a hub where leaders from different sectors and regions can come together to exchange ideas and learn from one another. Being based in Singapore, at the heart of Asia, gives us a unique opportunity to contribute to these conversations by bringing together regional and global speakers and perspectives.

Personally, I hope participants will leave with not only new insights but also meaningful connections and a better understanding of the opportunities and challenges ahead.

ABOUT THE ESSEC INSTITUTE FOR GEOPOLITICS & BUSINESS

Created in 2024 by ESSEC, the Institute for Geopolitics & Business examines how geopolitical shocks reshape companies’ economic models.

Operating across ESSEC Business School’s campuses in France, Morocco, and Singapore, it brings a tri-continental perspective to what drives corporate competitiveness in the post-globalization era: vigilance, resilience, independence.

It feeds into ESSEC’s degree programs, executive education, and research to foster a new generation of geopolitics-proof business leaders capable of steering and growing companies amid an increasingly brutalized world.

Rooted in ESSEC’s academic excellence, the Institute draws on 4 flagship centers:

- the IRENE Center for Negotiation & Mediation,

- the Center for Geopolitics, Defense & Leadership,

- the Center for European Law & Economics, and

- the Chair Business & Industry in Africa.