About Asia

SCMP specialist digital editor Jarrod Watt speaks with NY-based reporter Mark Magnier about China’s telling abstention from the UN vote on Ukraine, Joe Biden’s China remarks in his State of the Union, and reports that Xi Jinping was told by Vladmir Putin of his plans to invade Ukraine after the Beijing Winter Olympics. Brussels-based reporter Finbarr Bermingham discusses EU’s plea for Beijing to broker peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv, and the importance of the Beijing-based AIIB development…

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, SCMP reporters Finbarr Bermingham and Mai Jun explore how tectonic policy shifts by Germany and others toward Moscow sanctions will change China's European relationships; Zhou Xin looks at how China's banks are reckoning with Swift bans on Russia, and how China's tech companies are navigating the tricky issue of Western sanctions and Beijing's firm opposition to such moves.

Brussels-based reporter Finbarr Bermingham and the Post’s Mai Jun from Beijing detail the diplomatic tensions between the EU and Beijing. Sino-Russian affairs expert Dr Stefan Auer analyses the end of “soft power” in Europe and how 50 years after Nixon played the “China card” against the USSR, Putin has done the same against the US. Taiwan-based academic Weng-Ti Sung analyses Russia’s actions and the response on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Get our podcast newsletter: sc.mp/c56a65

SCMP’s North America correspondent Mark Magnier analyses the agenda and impact of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s unofficial summit with Central Asian leaders at the Beijing Winter Olympics, as the geopolitics of citizenship weigh on Chinese-American athletes competing for gold. Political economy journalist Kandy Wong looks at what two years of Trump’s tariffs and the phase-one trade deal have brought to the US, and how Australian exporters are calling for a new approach to relations with China…

With his military massed on the Ukraine border, Russian President Vladmir Putin is in Beijing to sign a new agreement with Xi Jinping with huge implications for global geopolitics. SCMP reporter Laura Zhou unpacks the evolving relationship between the two nations; China desk senior editor Peter Langan reports from Tokyo on Japan's historic resolution on human rights for Xinjiang and Hong Kong, and how the Xi-Putin meeting resonates for Japan's establishment. Get our podcast newsletter: https:/…

Hear from Post correspondent in Washington, Jacob Fromer, about the US House of Representatives proposing a huge bundle of legislation known as the America Competes Act of 2022, with action proposed on everything from semiconductors to Xinjiang, Taiwan, the Quad and replacing Confucius Institutes in American universities with language centres that teach Mandarin, Cantonese, Mongolian and Uyghur. Brussels-based correspondent Finbarr Bermingham returns with analysis of the European Union's…

SCMP Brussels correspondent Finbarr Bermingham analyses the data showing Lithuania's exports to China have collapsed and asks: does this mean Beijing's trade coercion works? Meanwhile the European Parliament proposes measures to punish Hong Kong over media freedom. East Asia reporter Maria Siow unpacks the high-level meeting between Japan and France on defense co-operation, as the Philippines announces a purchase of cruise missiles from India. Get our podcast newsletter: https://sc.mp/c56a65

Hear how Beijing is making big inroads to Middle East diplomacy this week, meeting with foreign ministers of Turkey and Iran right after a five-day meeting with ministers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and other oil-rich Gulf nations. Learn more of Beijing’s agenda and how they connect to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Also, dive deep into China’s connection with Kazakhstan and amid the recent unrest.
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The SCMP's European correspondent Finbarr Bermingham unpacks the new 'anti-coercion instrument' announced by the EU, and its relevance to what looks like the weaponisation of trade with China, in a year where European attitudes to Beijing have dramatically changed. SCMP China desk editor Peter Langan reports from Tokyo with analysis on Japan's policy shift and changing military stance towards Beijing, and warnings over any future incursions in Taiwan.

Owen Churchill from the SCMP US bureau and William Zheng from the SCMP China desk discuss landmark US sanctions announced over products sourced from Xinjiang. They analyse a year in US-China relations from the start of Joe Biden’s presidency and his promise of a change in style from Donald Trump’s Twitter-based diplomacy. From confrontations in Alaska and Tianjin to new ambassadors in Washington and Beijing, it's been a rollercoaster ride for Sino-US relations. For podcast reviews and news…

In a year celebrating the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party, this week saw the unveiling of the concept of ‘Chinese democracy’, days before Joe Biden hosted his Democracy Summit. Hear analysis from Post reporters in SCMP Beijing and New York bureaus, contrasting contesting claims over legitimate democracy. You’ll also hear an extraordinary moment during a report from Brussels-based reporter Finbarr Bermingham as a senior Lithuanian minister calls in to respond to China’s economic…

The SCMP’s Rob Delaney previews the coming “democracy summit” called by US President Biden and the opportunity Taiwan sees to further its legitimacy; Biden’s Asia advisor Kurt Campbell declares China’s trade war on Australia lost, amid revelations the US profited from Beijing’s sanctions; and Asia desk correspondent Maria Siow analyses Solomon Islands unrest. Are the Honiara riots over switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, or linked to Beijing and Washington vying for…

SCMP’s Europe correspondent Finbarr Bermingham details his trip to Lithuania where he found himself at an event that has outraged Beijing: the ‘Taiwan Representative Office’ opening - a de facto embassy and the first to bear the name "Taiwan" in Europe. Hear what went on and the deep historic symbolism Lithuanian MPs attached to the event; hear an in-depth interview with foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis on why his government chose this course amid its border crisis. Presented by Chad…

Chad Bray speaks with SCMP North American bureau chief Rob Delaney and Beijing-based news editor Mai Jun to compare and contrast the details and reactions of American and Chinese media and audiences to this week's Xi-Biden summit. Bhavan Jaipragas reports from the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore on what was being talked about on and offstage, including: is the US trying to lobby for a new regional trade deal?
 

Chad Bray presents an episode in a week of historic announcements: US-based correspondent Owen Churchill analyses the US-China deal at COP26, the surprise visit to Taiwan of US Congress members ahead of a new arms deal and ongoing moves to pick the next US ambassador to China. Senior China correspondent William Zheng unpacks the politics and agenda behind Xi Jinping’s “historic resolution” and his moves toward a third term as President.

Chad Bray speaks with SCMP US bureau chief Rob Delaney and European correspondent Finbarr Bermingham about the increasing prominence of Taiwan on the agenda of the White House and the European Parliament. Hear about the upcoming G20 meeting in Rome and how Xi Jinping's absence is being seen as a missed opportunity for face to face diplomacy - and what will replace it.

SCMP’s Tokyo-based correspondent Julian Ryall analyses China and Russia exploiting a loophole to send a navy group on a historic passage between Japan’s main island of Honshu and northern island of Hokkaido. How will this play in upcoming Japanese elections and what has been the reaction from new Prime Minister Fumio Kisihida? Former Australian PM Kevin Rudd speaks in-depth with SCMP chief news editor Yonden Lhatoo on China’s relationship with Australia, the Aukus deal and prospects for a new…

As the US, UK and other nations deal with supply chain issues, how are traders at the top of the global supply chain faring in the world’s largest wholesale market? SCMP reporter Luna Sun details what she's seen and heard at China’s massive Yiwu wholesale market as it deals with power outages,  soaring container costs and ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, and New York correspondent Mark Magnier reports on the US return to the UN Human Rights Council amid escalating tensions with China. 

SCMP's US reporter Owen Churchill analyses USTR Katherine Tai’s speech on the US-China trade deal, the new ‘China office’ of the CIA and the reality behind news reports of US Marines in Taiwan; China desk reporter William Zheng discusses China’s increasing PLA aircraft deployments across the Taiwan Strait in the leadup to 10/10 day, and Brussels-based reporter Finbarr Bermingham analyses the recent EU leadership summit and its pivot from China policy to crisis talks about the Aukus military…

Chad Bray speaks with Sarah Zheng in the SCMP’s Beijing office as China’s “golden week” holiday begins against a backdrop of power outages and factory shutdowns. Hear how Meng Wanzhou’s homecoming has affected US-China relations, with talk of a Xi Jinping-Joe Biden summit. Brussels-based reporter Finbarr Bermingham analyses Germany’s election results with Chinese characteristics, and why Taiwan was the focus of the EU-China strategic dialogue, amid growing calls for Europe to increase…

The SCMP’s Washington bureau chief Rob Delaney analyses speeches from Presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden at the UN General Assembly, and calls for the Quad to expand membership; Beijing-based reporter Laura Zhou on an ex-diplomat's calls for China to change its policy regarding nuclear weapons and missile proliferation, including its first-strike nuclear strategy towards the US, and the University of Tasmania’s James Chin explores Southeast Asian tension and Asean affairs.

SCMP Washington bureau chief Rob Delaney unpacks the week’s surprise announcement of 'AUKUS' - a new military pact between the US, UK and Australia promising increased US troops, hardware and a new fleet of nuclear submarines to be stationed in Australia. Brussels-based reporter Finbarr Bermingham analyses the shocked European response as well as how China’s economic relationship with Germany is influencing the upcoming German elections. Special tribute: John Carter RIP. Presented by Chad Bray.

Post Asia reporter Bhavan Japraigas unpacks the goals of US Vice President Kamala Harris upon her visits to Singapore and Vietnam this week and looks at what was missing, contrasting her announcement of a new US embassy in Hanoi with China's massive economic influence. Mumbai-based journalist Kunal Purohit analyses India's changing relationship with the US following events in Afghanistan, how India views China's relationship with the Taliban, and how months of intensive military build-up on its…

SCMP's Beijing-based correspondent Sarah Zheng discusses how Chinese state media portrayed the chaos in Kabul amid the US withdrawal, China’s strategic plans for Afghanistan and how some are using the crisis to query US loyalty to Taiwan; Asia correspondent Bhavan Jaipragas unpacks Malaysia’s constitutional crisis after its prime minister resigned, and how PLA aggression in the South China Sea complicates Malaysia’s deep economic reliance on China.
 

 

 

Europe correspondent Finbarr Bermingham unpacks why China has expelled Lithuania’s ambassador from Beijing and recalled its ambassador to Lithuania; China desk editor Teddy Ng on new PLA exercises off Hainan island and with the Russian military in western China; Lowy Institute director Sam Roggeveen discusses its new study on the PLA’s expanded capability to strike Australia and dominate the South China Sea.

Europe correspondent Finbarr Bermingham analyses Germany's diplomatic faux pas with China over sending a warship to the South China Sea as analysts ponder a Germany without Angela Merkel; what’s behind the boom in exports to the EU from Xinjiang; Dr Euan Graham from the International Institute of Strategic Studies unpacks the extent of military build-up in the South China Sea; and the potential for mistakes and the recent escalation of US diplomacy in Southeast Asia.

Hear from the SCMP’s New York and Beijing correspondents on the meeting between US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, chasing common ground, yet finding stalemate. Now, US vaccine diplomacy is under way in SE Asia and a new "wolf warrior" ambassador is in Washington. Asia correspondent John Power analyses Australia’s potential US$1 billion bid to keep China Mobile from buying a Pacific phone network serving island nations.

A special feature-length episode looking at China's 50 year relationship with the United Nations marking the month in 1971 when 17 members of the UN requested a vote on the "Restoration of the lawful rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations". How has China's relationship with the UN changed since taking its seat, how is that relationship changing under Xi Jinping?  Professor Rosemary Foot is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Department of Politics and…

Hear analysis from US correspondent Owen Churchill and Beijing-based correspondent Kinling Lo after this week's claims and counter-claims of state-sponsored hacking attacks, and why NATO's involvement is significant. How will this affect the first face-to-face meeting of senior US and China diplomats after the terse Alaska meeting in March? Sports editor Paul Ryding calls in from Tokyo with insights on the events to watch destined to bring patriotic fervour from Chinese, American and Indian…

The South China Morning Post political economy team analyse the latest economic data from China, delve deep into the ongoing US-China trade and tech war, and examine China's changing economic relationship with Europe, Africa and the Indo-Pacific. Hear deep background on Beijing's political machinations and how they affect policy and global diplomacy, and hear how nations are responding to the new era of 'wolf warrior' diplomacy, and pandemic-related politics.

SCMP Hong Kong desk editor Denise Tsang joins Chad Bray to discuss the reaction among Hong Kong-based American business leaders to Joe Biden's warning, amid fears Hong Kong’s new anti-doxxing laws may lead to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram being blocked in the city. Also, as Beijing continues to reject the South China Sea international court ruling, Beijing-based reporter Sarah Zheng analyses rising hostilities between Philippine fisherman and Chinese coastguard vessels in the disputed waters.

Following the official call from the Taliban welcoming Chinese investment, the SCMP’s Zhou Xin analyses China's past relationship with Afghanistan and its strategic and historic importance to Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative. In the wake of US investor uproar over the Didi IPO, business reporter Georgina Lee unpacks the new rules for Chinese companies listing on US stock markets, and how Hong Kong stands to benefit.

Chad Bray speaks with SCMP desk editors Zhou Xin and Peter Langan; analysing Xi Jinping's speech for China's Communist party centenary, and what was missed in the headlines about 'bloodied heads'; how China's relationship with Japan, South Korea and North Korea is changing amid calls for NATO to expand to East Asia Brussels-based correspondent Finbarr Bermingham reports on moves in the European Parliament to sanction Hong Kong over the closure of the Apple Daily newspaper and what he's hearing…

Washington correspondent Jacob Fromer details the Post exclusive that investigates how some of America's biggest investment funds are making millions from companies in Xinjiang, as the Biden administration escalates sanctions on companies involved in solar cell manufacturing. Political Economy desk editor Zhou Xin contrasts the style and career of Beijing's veteran ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai with incoming, relatively inexperienced diplomat Qin Gang and this means for US-China relations.

Analysis of US President Joe Biden's Europe visit and Beijing's response from the SCMP's Rob Delaney in Washington and Zhou Xin in Hong Kong. Also, how will the global "B3W" programme work and how does it differ from China's belt and road strategy? Brussels-based correspondent Finbarr Bermingham contrasts the language of the EU and the US over what Biden achieved, and unpacks the newly announced US-Europe trade and technology council to confront China and promote "digital governance". Produced…

SCMP’s political economy editor Zhou Xin and Washington bureau chief Rob Delaney analyse a week when Beijing and Washington targeted each other with bills on sanctions, competition and technology. Also in this week’s podcast, our European correspondent Finbarr Bermingham reports from Brussels on EU sentiment towards Biden's agenda at the G7 meeting, Nato’s push into the Indo-Pacific region, and the unveiling of a rival programme to China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Finbarr Bermingham and the team analyse the European Parliament's vote to freeze ratification of its agreement on investment with China; why the rekindled alliance of China and Russia is all about the G7 and why Biden's Endless Frontiers Act is more like Trump than a new era. Feature interview with Bernd Lange member of the European Parliament and Germany's Social Democratic Party, discussing the EU's changing relationship with China.

China forcefully defended its Xinjiang policy at a UN forum it labeled an “anti-China event”, where Germany and Turkey joined with the US and UK to ask for “immediate, meaningful and unfettered” access. SCMP reporters Simone McCarthy and Masha Borak examine how India's Covid crisis is impacting the global tech supply chain for Apple products as well as vaccine, PPE and medical supply-based diplomacy with China.

Is the G7 ganging up on China? This week, the team looks at how that perception may be pushing Beijing into a corner, causing it to double down. China’s suspension of economic talks with Australia may already be proof of that, as Canberra is made an example to the world. Hear also about Beijing's choice as its new ambassador to the United States and Tamas Matura, China expert from the Corvinus University of Budapest analyses why Hungary is China’s staunchest defender in the EU.

China, according to US President Joe Biden, is “deadly earnest” about becoming the world’s most “consequential” nation. In this week’s podcast, the team analyses Biden’s first speech to a joint session of Congress. Also, reports of China’s “declining” population are refuted by Beijing even though it has yet to release new figures. And SCMP China Desk reporter Sarah Zheng looks behind mask diplomacy and India’s snub of pandemic relief from border rival China.

The talks were virtual, but the promises were not just hot air at this week’s climate summit organised by US President Joe Biden. Finbarr Bermingham joins Zhou Xin and John Carter from the SCMP Political Economy team to recap the pledges leaders made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and what seemed like a measure of cooperation between Washington and China. Also this week: the strange story of censorship involving former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s personal article about his mother, the UK…

Taiwan has been in the headlines during a week that a delegation sent by US President Biden visited the self-ruled island, and when Beijing mounted what was seen as an aggressive show of force towards Taipei. This week’s China Geopolitics podcast also looks into the pressure on Japanese PM Suga, how Taiwan company TSMC emerged as top global semiconductor supplier, and why the EU refuses to bail out Montenegro’s massive debt to China for a highway conencting Montenegro's capital with Serbia.

In a week that the US State Department openly flirted with – then pulled back from – the idea of a boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, SCMP political economy editors Zhou Xin and John Carter discuss the significance of the Games to China's image-building efforts, the dilemma it would create for potential sponsors and the realpolitik of Washington's mixed messaging. Also in this edition of China Geopolitics: the roles Beijing and Hong Kong might play in US Treasury Secretary Janet…

The fallout from a lightning blitz of sanctions between Western nations and China over alleged abuses in Xinjiang continues. China's stinging official retaliation raises huge questions about its investment deal with Europe, while China's netizen army has risen up against Western brands in response. 

 

H&M, Nike, Hugo Boss, and Adidas and their stances on Xinjiang-made cotton have lead to mass boycotts in China. Political economy editors John Carter and Zhou Xin unpack the political…

Finbarr Bermingham and the SCMP political economy team delve beneath the opening bluster of the US-China meeting in Anchorage and analyse the bigger picture. What of the US opening gambit on Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan? What will the agreement on action to confront climate change mean? Zhou Xin looks at the media coverage in mainland China media framing this as demonstrating China's superpower status; John Carter looks at the upcoming NATO meeting and the significance of the European Union…

Finbarr Bermingham, Zhou Xin and John Carter look at the coming high-level meeting between the US and China in Alaska, and compare what each team of negotiators are looking to get from the occasion, while Biden's calling together of the 'Quad' raises more questions of what India, Japan and Australia have in common. Hear analysis from Beijing-based reporters Mai Jun and Kinling Lo of China's National People's Congress, its announced electoral changes for Hong Kong's electoral system, and how the…

Finbarr Bermingham speaks with SCMP political economy editors Zho Xin and John Carter about the latest Hong Kong crackdown on pro-democracy figures, and delve deep into the latest policy announcements at the National People's Congress in Beijing concerning economic growth and technology. Hear an in-depth interview with Reinhard Butikofer, German politician and chair of the European Union parliamentary delegation to China.

Finbarr Bermingham and political economy editors John Carter and Zhou Xin look at the upcoming announcement of Beijing's five year plan and how it will address the rising middle income trap for China's economic growth. Hear analysis of the Biden administration inquiry into 'supply chains' that didn't mention China and the push by US tech companies back into the mainland now Trump has gone. Special guest is Philippe LeCorre, EU specialist with Harvard University, discussing the EU strategy…

A special ICYMI recap of an interview between Finbarr Bermingham and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, back when she was one of two candidates vying for the position of director general of the World Trade Organization. Hear her talk about her vision for the WTO regarding Covid-19 vaccines, how to repair US-China trade relations and exactly what reforms she thinks are needed for this organisation to be effective.

John Carter unpacks how fresh outbreaks of Covid-19 in mainland China will impact the Chinese economy, as the nation prepares for the Lunar New Year holiday. SCMP China desk edtor Wiliam Zheng analyses Beijing's top diplomat's first policy speech since the Biden inauguration; senior Asia correspondent Bhavan Jaipragas looks at China's relationship with Myanmar, the reaction from Beijing and Washington to the coup and how it contrasts with how the ASEAN nations have reacted.