In the Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) Conference and Exhibition held in Hong Kong, SMU Professor of Information Systems (Education) and Vice Provost (Education) Venky Shankararaman, who is also the president of APAIE, said the 2026 Asia Pacific Association for International Education conference came at a pivotal moment where the world is seeing nations retreat into self-interest, partnerships fraying under pressure and global good being reduced to empty rhetoric. However, Prof Shankararaman noted that Asia Pacific has an opportunity and an obligation to demonstrate a different way forward. It was noted that delegates at the conference framed mobility and cross-border partnerships not only as economic drivers, but as tools for advancing the global good.