Abstract
The Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan are distinctly different in size, population, government structure, and social and economic developments. However, all have achieved remarkable economic success in the last thirty years, each becoming significant players in the global community. What are the underlying factors in their achievements? Is the "rise" sustainable in the future? What are the crucial issues of re-unification between Mainland China and Taiwan?

The speaker will address these questions by comparing the different economic performances, innovation capacities, innovation systems, systems of higher education, rule of law and cultural and environmental factors. The key issues of future integration will be discussed. The talk will suggest the development of "soft power", based on common cultural values, as a deciding factor.

Bio
Professor Otto Lin was born in the Mainland and educated in Hong Kong, Taiwan and USA. He has pursued a career in technology, innovation and education in the Asia Pacific Region. He was President of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) in Taiwan and later, Vice President for Research and Development of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Both organizations are active contributors to the social and economic developments of the region. His industrial experience included Du Pont and other technology companies in the Region. He also led the development of the Nansha IT Park in Guangzhou to enhance technology cooperation between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta. He has received many honors including the Technology Award of the Third World Academy of Science. He is the author of the book "China on the rise: competition of soft power in the globalization era", text in Chinese, by the Hong Kong University Press in 2010. http://www.hkupress.org

Sponsored by Regional Oral History Office (ROHO) and Center for Studies in Higher Education.