What will asian century medan for us

What will the Asian century mean for us? This is a key question raised by the Edinburgh International Festival, which starts today and this year focuses on the theme of East meets West. Many performances will celebrate the influence of Asian cultures on our own and the complex interplay between them in the 21st century.

The British Council is joining this celebration through the Continental Shifts programme, broadening the cultural debate to look at the economies, societies and philosophies of south and east Asia. This series of talks and panel discussions features high-profile speakers and distinguished chairs, including household names such as Scottish economic historian Professor Niall Ferguson.

We have a long history of involvement in Asia, creating international opportunities and building trust between societies. We have offices in every major country there. Our presence has spanned the decades and we stay on the ground through difficult times – as our continued presence in Burma testifies.

Continental Shifts is important as it reinforces the internationalism of Edinburgh’s Festival. It shows cultural events can be forums for debate on the issues of critical importance to our world. And it puts the spotlight on Edinburgh and Scotland as being at the forefront of inter-cultural dialogue. So we’ll be hearing from Indian investigative journalists about their take on India’s rise to superpower status, and listening to the former head of the Financial Times bureau in Beijing about how Chinese money is changing the world. We’ll also be learning about interpretations of Shakespeare’s plays in east Asia and the state of popular culture in Korea and Japan.

By looking at economic, political and social issues in tandem, we can gain a deeper insight into nations that will set the world agenda in years to come. It’s only by getting the real inside story about other cultures – rather than relying on clichés and stereotypes – that we can truly understand each other and work together to tackle the shared challenges of this century.

l Julia Amour is director of British Council Scotland.