Asia
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) promotes democracy, human rights, economic freedom, and curbing climate change. In Asia, we have offices in Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila, New Delhi, Seoul, and Taipei. We also work in Malaysia. The FNF regional team works with the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism, Collective of Applied Law and Legal Realism (CALR), a pro bono initiative by AmerBON Advocates, and the ASEAN Prosperity Initiative, which is part of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs. Should you have questions or suggestions about our work, please contact us. You can also meet our team here.
News
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Myanmar’s Forgotten Democratic Revolution
Five years after Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup on Feb. 1, 2021, the country remains trapped in violence and political paralysis. What was once framed as a historic democratic uprising has largely faded from global attention, replaced by a quieter but more durable reality: the consolidation of a modern authoritarian state, sustained by authoritarian alliance, mostly by China, and western democracies’ indifference.
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Geopolitical dynamics favour India–EU trade deal
The EU and India have finalized their Free Trade Agreement. For India, the EU is a key partner in trade, technology, investment, and energy transition. The modest trade deal links value chains, increases connectivity and supports sustainable growth.
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How Does Taiwan's Civil Society Leverage Technology and Citizen Activism to Enhance the Transparency of Parliament?
In 2025, NGOs in Taiwan criticized the budget review process and took action. They developed a crowdsourcing social media bot and a data visualization website to monitor how legislators decided to cut or freeze budgets. Data journalist Zoe Lee from READr, who led the project, explains how Taiwan’s civic tech community advanced parliamentary transparency.
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Future-Proofing ASEAN`s Investment Regulation
A new paper “Future-Proofing Investment Regulation Across ASEAN” - commissioned by the Asia Office of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom - looks at Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines from 2019 to 2025. The study traces how these four countries are trying to manage rising geopolitical and security pressures without abandoning openness or unsettling investor confidence.
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Divided We Fall: ASEAN’s Response to Trump’s Illiberal Trade Agenda
When President Trump’s "Liberation Day" trade policy hit Southeast Asia with tariffs reaching between 32 and 49%, the region’s economic foundation didn't just crack; it splintered. While ASEAN initially projected a rare image of defiance and solidarity, that unity lasted only weeks before the bloc’s two most export-dependent members, Vietnam and Cambodia, were first to break ranks to chase bilateral side deals with Washington.
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AI for Democracy, More Digital Participation Best Practices from across the World, and More in the New Digital Participation Guide!
This year, People Powered collaborated with us again to update their Digital Participation Guide and Rating by adding a chapter on how AI can facilitate public participation, as well as including more case studies of best practice from around the world. Come and take a look!
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Tech Radar Episode 2
Quantum technologies have been hailed for years as the key technology of the future. Europe has a strong scientific foundation in this field.
Focus
Our Regional Team
Most popular
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Geopolitical dynamics favour India–EU trade deal
India -
Divided We Fall: ASEAN’s Response to Trump’s Illiberal Trade Agenda
Southeast Asia -
Morocco’s place in a fractured global order: Transatlantic tensions, NATO’s future, and the new geopolitical reality
Global Positioning -
The price of the ballot and the politics of power
Uganda Election