Stefan Friedrich has been Head of Department for Sub-Saharan Africa in Berlin since August 2018. From August 2016 to July 2018, he was Head of the New York office of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Before, he managed as Director the Department ‘Political Dialogue and Analysis’ in the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), Berlin, i.e. the think tank for the foundation’s international activities between 2012 and 2016. KAS is a political foundation closely related to the Christian-democratic movement in Germany.

Prior to this new position Dr. Friedrich headed the Asia and the Pacific department of the foundation for more than seven years (2005-2012). In that function he was responsible for the foundation’s activities in the Asian and the Pacific region, which included 20 offices all over the region. Before joining the headquarters of KAS, Mr. Friedrich was founder and first director of the KAS office in Shanghai (2001-2005). Prior to this he was a scientific member of the Institute of Asian Affairs (Hamburg; 1997-2001) and co-editor of the encyclopaedia of Modern China (“Das Große China-Lexikon”, about 1000 pp, 2003; now available also in English: “Brill’s encyclopedia of China”, 2009). He published widely on China’s foreign relations.

Stefan Friedrich holds an MA (1994) and PhD (1999) of the University of Heidelberg. His studies in Modern Sinology and Political Sciences included extended research periods at several universities - in Shanghai (Fudan), Paris (EHESS) and London (SOAS).

Expertise

• UNO
• Multilateral development policy
• Foreign and security policy
• Asia
• China