Southeast and East 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, Hanoi, 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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“These elections will not be free and fair”
Myanmar has been under military rule since February 2021. Now the junta is organizing elections, which are widely criticized by international observers. A couple of weeks before the elections, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom interviewed two politicians in Yangon/ Myanmar. Both cherish democracy. One will stand as a candidate in the upcoming elections. They will bring a minimal platform for civilian politics, he believes. The other politician ran in past elections, but will not be a candidate this time. He has no trust in the process. Both remain anonymous, we call them NP and P. Why have they chosen starkly different paths?
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China’s Repression on German Soil
China’s efforts to silence critics far beyond its borders have become a feature of its global reach. A new study commissioned by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom warns that Germany - home to one of Europe’s largest Chinese diaspora communities and a key target of Beijing’s influence – is encountering a range of tactics used to influence or deter critics. The study encourages Germany to consider strengthening its legal frameworks and to enhance coordination among relevant institutions.
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The View from Asia on U.S. Tariffs and Trade
Amid rising global tensions and shifting U.S. trade strategies, what does America’s tariff-driven diplomacy look like from an Asian vantage point? This article draws on insights from a global trade study tour across Washington D.C. and New York City, attended by our partner Dr. Stewart Nixon from IDEAS Malaysia. In this analysis, Dr. Nixon also went deeper on how pressure-based deals, weakening institutions, and a retreat from international leadership are reshaping America’s economic relationships, particularly with the Asia region.
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Defending Democracy and the Global Order: A Resolution of Support for Taiwan’s Resilience and International Participation
As democratic nations and authoritarian states contend for technological dominance in the AI era, we recognize that this is a pivotal juncture in history for democratic life and values across the globe. This coming decade will determine whether democracy can reassert itself as a guiding model of governance, or whether authoritarian systems will set the new world order.
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Resolution on the West Philippine Sea
Members of Liberal International (LI) reaffirm their commitment to support the Republic of the Philippines in the protection of its national sovereignty, and declare the hostile and provocative operations of the PRC as detrimental to global peace, security and economic development.
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“Freedom is borderless”
During her visits to the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand, Oleksandra Matviichuk, the Ukrainian human rights lawyer and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, delivered a message she believes lies at the heart of her country’s resistance to Russia’s invasion: freedom, she said, belongs to no single nation.
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"Democracy advocates must stand together"
Tsai Ing-wen, former President of Taiwan, visited the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) in Berlin. She called for stronger cooperation among democracies as tensions with China remain high.
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South Korea's Freedom Journey
South Korea is an exemplary showcase of the liberal theory that economic development leads to the political progress; of market economy going hand in hand with liberal democracy.
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We can always make a fresh start
When we look around the region and the world, there is much that we may be worried, yet we would all do well to remember how much has changed for the better in the last decades.
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ASEAN Economic Integration: A Competing Narrative
ASEAN needs to make further progress on economic freedom. Liberal, market-friendly policies are an essential part of any complete narrative of ASEAN economic success.
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Thailand's Freedom Journey
Thailand faces a number of democratic challenges. Nonetheless, Thai youth are still highly participative in activities that they believe could initiate change in society.
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Holidays as result of trade of fun ideas
The Dutch took their version of the good bishop Sinta Klass to New York, and then he got transformed to the Santa we know today. In an nterconnected world, ideas for having fun are traded as well.
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Travel app for freedom wins 'Shark Tank' prize
Choose a country to visit. Answer questions related to challenges to democracy. Get AI for sound judgment. Find out how liberal solutions work. All this will be available in the Freedom Explorer mobile application.
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Use technology to solve real problems
Access to information and technology makes a big difference in the development of any country. If the world can be more interconnected, a lot of amazing things can happen
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Blockchain to secure right to privacy
As trade becomes more globalized, innovative business models that embrace respect for human rights, and that similarly goes beyond the usual CSR programs, are valuable.
Focus
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