EFN Asia 1: From HK to Phuket to KL

Just came from Kuala Lumpur, it was the third Economic Freedom Network (EFN) Asia annual conference that I have attended. The conferences have been held a few years ago but I started attending only in 2004, thanks to Jo Kwong of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF).

Here are the past 3 conferences that I have attended.

2004.
6th Annual Conference, EFN Asia,
“The Role of Government in Asian Economies”,
September 16-18, Hong Kong
Sponsored by:
Hong Kong Center for Economic Research,
University of Hong Kong (www.hku.hk),
Unirule Institute of Economics (www.unirule.org), Beijing, and
National Economic Research Institute (NERI), Beijing, (www.neri.org.cn)

2005
7th Annual Conference, EFN Asia,
“Securing Economic Growth: Legal Structures and Property Rights in Asia”
October 1-2, Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket, Phuket, Thailand
Sponsored by FNF and Atlas Economic Research Foundation

The day before that, September 30, also on the same hotel, Atlas and FNF organized a one-day round-table discussion, Colloquium on “The Constitution of Liberty in Asia”

2006
8th Annual Conference, EFN Asia,
“Preferential Trade Agreements: Local Solutions for Global Free Trade?”
September 12-13, Corus Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Sponsored by Friedrich Naumann Stiftung (FNS), Malaysia Institute of Economic Research (MIER), and Atlas Economic Research Foundation, Virginia, USA

A day before that on the same hotel, Atlas and FNF also held a one-day forum, the "3rd Asian Liberty Forum". I was one of the panel speakers there, my paper was entitled "Obstacles to Free Trade: Thrashing Protectionists’ Logic".

Among the things that prodded me to start blogging in late October 2005, was after I came home from the EFN Asia conference in Phuket.

Thank you Atlas, thank you FNF, thank you Jo Kwong.