Berggruen is known for his longstanding interest in Asian societies and cultures. He has written and spoken publicly on the need for new paradigms for steering the U.S.-China relationship, among other topics, and in a 2022 New York Times Magazine profile he went on record with his belief that the twenty-first century is “the Pacific Century.” His Berggruen Institute is a Los Angeles-based think tank that seeks to catalyze innovative thinking in areas such as governance, artificial intelligence, and ecology.
Berggruen is the first Western philanthropist to have met with Vietnam's general secretary and prime minister on the same day. In a conversation that touched on Vietnam's development goals, he introduced the concept of universal basic capital, citing Australia's superannuation system and Singapore's sovereign wealth fund as possible models for Vietnam to consider.
Berggruen's meetings with the two officials concluded with informal agreements for his investment firm, Berggruen Holdings, and the Berggruen Institute to explore possibilities for collaboration with Vietnam.