Generally, the phrase alludes to influences by Confucianism,[1]: 10 in particular, filial piety or loyalty towards the family, corporation, and nation; the forgoing of personal freedom for the sake of society's stability and prosperity; the pursuit of academic and technological excellence; and, a strong work ethic together with thrift.
[2] "Asian values" were codified and promoted in the Bangkok Declaration of 1993, which re-emphasized the principles of sovereignty, self-determination, and non-interference in civil and political rights.
Some speculate it might have contributed to the religious, social, cultural and economic changes occurring in Asia in that time — for example, the Asian financial crisis and the collapse of the Suharto regime in Indonesia may have been successfully counteracted by liberal democracy.
[16] "Asian values" continues to be discussed in academia with reference to the question of the universality of human rights, as opposed to a position of cultural relativism.
[18] Kim Dae-jung (former President of South Korea), Amartya Kumar Sen (Indian economist, philosopher, and Nobel laureate) and Yu Ying-shih (Chinese-born American historian and sinologist) have argued that "Asian values" and the protection thereof by cultural relativism is doublespeak for suppressing freedom of speech and human rights, which are framed by proponents as "Western values" inapplicable to Asian society.
[26] The authors of a study published in 2015 claimed that rice versus wheat agriculture explain differences in analytic thinking, "implicit individualism" and innovation between various Chinese provinces.
Using an improved measure of individualism-collectivism, the authors of a replication study found that the conclusion of the 2015 article claiming to show evidence for the relationship between wheat versus rice farming was the result of faulty methodology.