South China Morning Post

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate won the Taiwan presidential race on January 13, 2024. The opposition Kuomintang managed to secure the most seats in the legislature. But as Post correspondent Kinling Lo explains, all eyes are now on the Taiwan People’s Party.

For more on Taiwan’s 2024 election: https://sc.mp/926c 

American fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC has found its way onto the Christmas dining tables of millions of Japanese families. Hosts Charmaine Mok and Sam Evans explore how this surprising holiday tradition started. They speak with Tokyo-based chef Daniel Calvert, who is currently serving fried chicken at his restaurant and with Susan Jung, who wrote a cookbook about fried chicken in Asia.

Post reporter Emily Hung takes us through her reporting, exploring the unregulated world of “medical beauty” in Hong Kong, and the resulting tragedies.
Check out the full article: https://sc.mp/m55x 

The year 2023 was when China’s video gaming industry staged a comeback. More licences for games were approved, the biggest global launch of a Chinese game was recorded and gold medals were won. Post reporter Ann Cao takes us through the many highs for the sector over the year and explains what to expect heading into 2024.
Read the latest on China’s video gaming industry: https://sc.mp/mgt1

Cui Tiankai is China’s longest-serving ambassador to the US. Ever since his retirement as Beijing’s top envoy to Washington in 2021, he has been active in backchannel diplomacy between the two countries. This extended version of Talking Post has more from Cui as he sat down with Post managing editor Yonden Lhatoo on November 13, 2023, to discuss geopolitical tension, war and peace, and diplomacy.
Watch the video interview: https://sc.mp/zp3e 
Read more about Cui: https://sc.mp/mxm8 

South Korean exports of coffee mixes and instant coffee sticks have risen as the world’s K-drama fans react to seeing the products featured on TV series such as Moving, Vincenzo and My Mister. This Post story, reported by Kwak Yeon-soo and narrated by Charmaine Mok, explores how entrepreneurs in South Korea and the US are remaking the humble product into something that is now contributing to hallyu or the “Korean wave”.
Read Yeon-soo’s article here: https://sc.mp/2ecl 

Post editor Josephine Ma explains where China stands on the Israel-Gaza war, how Israel and Palestine have responded to Beijing’s actions so far and what China stands to gain in trying to help mediate one of the most complex geopolitical issues in the world.
Read the latest on the Israel-Gaza war: https://sc.mp/brs0

Classic dishes including siu mai and har gow can be found in nearly every dim sum restaurant around the world. But where can you find quail egg siu mai, soup dumplings and preserved sausage buns? Journey with hosts Charmaine Mok and Sam Evans to find out why these varieties of dim sum are endangered. Post reporter Lisa Cam has the story of a labour shortage the industry faces, and how a restaurant in Hong Kong is trying to revitalise these dishes before they go “extinct”.

Frozen Sara Lee pound cakes could soon become harder for fans to find after the Australia-based manufacturer went into voluntary administration on October 17, 2023. Post deputy culture editor Charmaine Mok muses about how the ready-to-eat dessert has been a staple found in the freezer compartments of many Asian families for years, even making an appearance on the popular Netflix show Beef. 
Read Charmaine’s full story here: https://sc.mp/7em1

Millions of migrant workers helped transform China from an agrarian economy into a manufacturing giant, but most have yet to see major changes in their own living conditions. Unequal distribution of benefits and precarious working conditions mean most remain in jobs well past the statutory retirement age. This Post story is reported by Mia Nulimaimaiti and narrated by Holly Chik. 
Read the full story here: https://sc.mp/s86o 

Intelligence agencies in the US and China have apparently become intentionally more visible than ever. But why? Post US deputy bureau chief Mark Magnier explains what’s going behind the strategic leaks and veneer of transparency, and what they reveal about bilateral relations between the two superpowers.
Read Mark’s full story here: https://sc.mp/chcv 

Hong Kong’s nightlife is not what it used to be. Post reporter Connor Mycroft breaks down what’s changed, how the government wants to revitalise the city’s night economy and whether plans unveiled so far seem likely to work.
Read Connor’s full story here: https://sc.mp/2jpi 

As China’s property crisis continues and the growth of household wealth dwindles, some owners have had to sell their overseas investments. But with a saturated market and very few buyers, property owners are struggling to find buyers. This Post story is reported by He Huifeng and narrated by Regina de Luna.
For the full text: https://sc.mp/ua7p 

China has seen a significant increase in the size and influence of its middle class, but an ageing population is set to hinder the nation’s growth. In the US, the size of the middle class fell from 61 per cent of the population in 1971 to 50 per cent in 2022 amid flat wage growth and a drop in university enrolments. This Post story was reported by Ralph Jennings and He Huifeng and narrated by James Aitken.

For the full text: https://sc.mp/sx1u 

Century eggs are often portrayed in the West with a tinge of disgust, but Charmaine Mok and Sam Evans are on a mission to demystify the traditional Chinese snack. Post reporter Lisa Cam also joins the Eat Drink Asia hosts on a journey to discover three Cantonese dishes made with century egg and crack open secrets about their health benefits linked to traditional Chinese medicine.

One week ago on September 7, 2023, Hong Kong was hit by a record-breaking rainstorm that flooded the city. South China Morning Post city desk reporter Harvey Kong breaks down what happened across the city and explores the questions Hong Kong’s government now faces as clean-up continues. Post Hong Kong news editor Denise Tsang describes what happened to her when she was stuck in traffic during the city’s heaviest downpour. 

China’s southern metropolis of Shenzhen is the only mainland city where individuals can apply for bankruptcy, but it’s not easy since authorities reportedly frown on debt forgiveness. While debt is often taken to the grave, debtors’ families may continue to be hounded by creditors under a traditional belief that a “son must pay his father’s debt”. This Post story by Mandy Zuo and He Huifeng is narrated by Jasmine Tse.

Finbarr Bermingham reports on the EU response to Xi's absence at the G20, how 'de-risking' is playing out, and Beijing's reception to Germany's far right populist party AfD; Chad Bray analyses China's property giant Country Garden, its teetering on the brink of default and the forecast for what comes next; Zhou Xin looks at the big picture of the challenges for Xi Jinping and his central government.

Jarrod Watt and Jasmine Tse sift through the facts of how China came to levy nearly three years of escalating official and unofficial trade bans on Australian exports after comments made by the Australian Prime Minister at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. SCMP political economy reporter Kandy Wong reports on how one of Australia's oldest and most prestigious wine brands has made the pivot from the Barossa Valley to making wine in mainland China, and what obstacles still remain in the…

SCMP science reporter Victoria Bela speaks of the science behind China and Russia's opposition to the Fukushima water release plan and how it compares to the tritium water releases from Chinese nuclear power plants. Mimi Lau from HKU AnnieLab factcheck newsroom analyses the state-led social media campaign fusing anti-Japanese hatred with misinformation and pseudo-science, leading to panic buying of salt in mainland China and Hong Kong.

 

While many Western nations have Halloween, in Asia there’s the Hungry Ghost Festival. In this episode, Post reporter Lisa Cam shares what she learned from a feng shui practitioner who helps ghosts move on to the next realm – a spiritual negotiator some call an “exorcist”. Listen to find out how you know if you are haunted by spirits, and 10 things people should not do during the festival season.

US President Joe Biden has taken another step to counter China’s technological advancements. Post North America bureau chief Rob Delaney and Beijing-based correspondent Kinling Lo analyse Biden’s “small yard, high fence” strategy, the muted response from Beijing and how next year’s US elections may further escalate this tech war. 
 

Andrew Collier, managing director of Orient Capital Research, analyses how the world of investment reacted to the latest US investment restrictions on China’s tech industry, and the options that are left for Beijing as it aims to become the world leader in artificial intelligence. Georgetown University’s CSET research analyst Ngor Luong knows exactly who has been investing in China, and explains why she expects more money to flow from China to Southeast Asia.
 

Hear how Chinese scientists and the semiconductor industry have responded to Biden’s latest executive order, why some are calling it a “lose-lose” situation, and why China’s goal towards technological self-sufficiency has become much more difficult. Also, the Post’s Shenzhen-based tech reporter Iris Deng shares her latest visit to the world’s largest electronics market in search of chips the US has barred from export to China.

The US and China have less than two weeks to decide whether to renew a landmark science and technology agreement. Post reporter Khushboo Razdan explains what this agreement has achieved in the past and what would be lost if it isn’t renewed by August 27. Particle physicist and acclaimed columnist Yangyang Cheng explains how US-China science cooperation is as old as the bilateral relationship and what kind of collaborations she hopes to see between the global superpowers.
 

China is predicted to have 400 million retirees in 2035 - the same year the state pension fund is expected to run out. In this episode, Jasmine Tse analyses the central government's race to prepare the nation's finances, infrastructure and health system. Global health policy expert Professor Winnie Yip unpacks the challenges ahead, explains why robots or immigrants won’t fix them, and reveals a shift in China's culture of filial piety and caring for the elderly. Post desk editor Zhou Xin looks…

Something's changed in China's youth and it's causing concern all the way up to President Xi Jinping. Jasmine Tse presents an episode tracing the roots of a cross-generational protest from the 90s 'slacker' Generation X in the West to the year 2019 and a lone Chinese developer angry at '996' working culture, to viral memes on Chinese social media that became slogans uniting China’s GenZ and millennials in their disaffection with the status quo. 

A record 12 million Chinese college graduates are entering the workforce at a time of historic youth unemployment. Xi Jinping's response to China's GenZ and millenials was "eat bitterness'. King’s College sociologist Dr Ye Liu analyses why these generations differ from their elders; consumer trends journalist Yaling Jiang analyses how spending habits of China’s GenZ and millenials are changing the economy and Post reporter Luna Sun analyses the harsh economic reality for China’s new graduates.

What started as a government-backed campaign to shame women in their late 20s and 30s who didn’t marry and have children has backfired spectacularly. Hear from the daughters of the one child policy; now the most educated, affluent women in Chinese history, and what they think about career, marriage and children.

After 70 years as the world's most populated nation, the news of China's first decline in population since the Great Famine of the 1960s was a long time coming. King’s College sociologist Dr Ye Liu reveals the deeper impact of the one child policy, how the massive gender imbalance continues to play out in and how it forged generations of women with very different attitudes to their elders.  

 

There’s more to the shock of China's declining population than just births, deaths and marriages. Chinese GenZ and Millenials are choosing career over kids - or choosing to “lay flat” or “let it rot”. The two most educated and affluent generations in China's history are making choices that are changing the economy and challenging Beijing's policies - but they're now facing historic levels of unemployment, just as a record 12 million Chinese college students are about to graduate. Jasmine Tse…

Wok hei is what differentiates an ordinary stir-fried dish from a perfect one. Hosts Charmaine Mok and Sam Evans speak with Post reporter Lisa Cam to discuss the art and science behind wok hei, and why it has become so beloved among Cantonese food fans. Hear from the cookbook author who first translated wok hei into English, and a Hong Kong chef who is breaking barriers by wielding the wok.

Holly Chik looks at how this year’s heatwaves in China presaged the announcement of an El Nino weather cycle. Shanghai-based sustainability expert Richard Brubaker analyses the challenges to secure water, food and power supplies. Siqi Ji reports on the ongoing drought in Yunnan province threatening China’s massive hydropower scheme that supplies its industrial heartland, and Echo Xie reports on a new type of climate disaster – the flash drought – and what it means to the world. 

Alex So, managing director of the accounting consultancy, FastLane Group, believes digital transformation – the use of digital technologies to help modify, or create new, more profitable and effective working practices and customer experiences – could be the answer to tackling rapidly changing global business and market challenges, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The final in a three part special on Hong Kong's new retail crypto trading era: SCMP tech reporter Xinmei Shen speaks with Vivien Khoo about her transition from compliance in banking and how that influences her views on crypto and fintech; her forecast for the future of Hong Kong in the new retail crypto trading era; and her advocacy and leadership with women and challenging the culture of 'crypto bros'.

The second in a three part special on Hong Kong's new retail crypto trading era: SCMP specialist digital editor Jarrod Watt speaks with Neil Tan, chair of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong about how generative AI is changing crypto; his involvement in blockchain development in mainland China; how Hong Kong's legalising of retail crypto trading will attract talent that fled Beijing's crypto ban; and whether bitcoin mining will come to Hong Kong.

SCMP tech reporter Xinmei Shen presents an episode on Hong Kong’s new era of regulated retail cryptocurrency. Matt Haldane looks at the major players in Hong Kong and the attraction to mainland Chinese talent and investment after Beijing’s crypto and bitcoin bans in 2021; Ken Lo of crypto exchange HKbitEX discusses how the regulations work; and Chengyi Ong from Chainalysis examines Hong Kong’s regulations, how they compare globally and analyses the risks ahead.

Hear analysis from Orient Capital Research managing director Andrew Collier of the raids and arrests on consulting firms conducting due diligence and sharing expert analysis in mainland China and the impact on foreign investment; Post tech desk editor Zhou Xin looks at why the Cyberspace Administration of China has labelled American chipmaker Micron a “national security risk”. 

Finbarr Bermingham analyses the EU Indo-Pacific forum and the reality of "de-risking" from China; Kawala Xie reports on expectations for the role of China's peace envoy to Ukraine Li Hui; Rob Delaney looks at the Wang Yi-Jake Sullivan meeting as the US mends relations without raising balloon incidents; and Shi Jiangtao on Beijing's response to the G7 meeting and how it views Japan's increasingly hawkish call for Europe to focus on the Taiwan Strait.

Holly Chik presents the latest update on AI in mainland China. William Zheng reports on the first person arrested for using ChatGPT to generate fake news; while tech reporters Ben Jiang and Coco Feng explain the lag of China’s tech companies as they try to catch up, while the first wave of AI-related job losses begin.

Hear the stories going viral this week from the SCMP People and Society desk with Luisa Tam and Kevin Kwong. The airbnb guests from hell who protest a denied cancellation by turning the taps and gas on for days; the man who had his girlfriend's name added to his mother's tombstone, only to have her demand it be removed two years later; the grieving brother and sister who find out their dead mother left them millions, made even more distraught by the brother's wife demanding her fair share, and…

The 2023 “golden week” holiday period which includes May Day did more than just reveal how badly people in mainland China wanted to travel and visit tourist sites. Beijing-based reporter Luna Sun discusses the numbers and has a look at an island hoping to surpass Hong Kong as a free trade and travel destination, while the Post’s Oscar Liu and Harvey Kong look at new trends and behaviours seen among the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visited Hong Kong over the past week.

Holly Chik presents an episode analysing new announcements about the Chinese space programme. Post science reporter Xin Ling and Space.com journalist Andrew Jones report on Beijing’s timeline for developing a GPS system for the moon and 3D printing bricks for the first lunar base, its hopes for beating the US in a race to get soil samples from Mars and its plans for a survey of Jupiter’s moon Callisto.

Holly Chik looks at how people in China are using AI and ChatGPT. A dead woman holds a conversation with her grandson; a surveillance satellite operates without human control; and the PLA considers “cognitive warfare”. In Hong Kong, a stock brokerage with thousands of millennial and Gen Z investors prepares to launch a ChatGPT-powered investment assistant. And hear from nuclear weapons and China tech expert Dr Amy J Nelson on chances for a global AI arms treaty.
 

Holly Chik presents the second in a two part special. Technology reporter Xinmei Shen analyses Beijing’s new draft guidelines for generative AI and how it will affect China’s burgeoning chatbot industry. China technology and AI expert Matt Sheehan from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace compares the approach of China, the US and Europe in regulating AI and the prospects for superpower co-operation.
 

Despite it not being officially available, Hong Kong is adapting ChatGPT for use in finance, law firms, customer service and beyond. Hong Kong city reporter Oscar Liu reports on how it's being used, as well as the split among Hong Kong universities on whether to allow students to use ChatGPT. Hear from a secondary teacher on how ChatGPT and other AI applications are changing the way he teaches, how his students are using it to enhance their learning and his concerns for unregulated development…

Xi Jinping’s recent Moscow visit was upstaged by an unannounced trip to Ukraine by Japanese leader Fumio Kishida as well as Vladimir Putin’s announcement that Russian nuclear weapons will be staged in Belarus. The Post’s Europe correspondent Finbarr Bermingham analyses the EU response as well as why European leaders are making plans to visit Beijing. Diplomacy expert Shi Jiangtao explains why Kishida’s diplomacy with Ukraine, South Korea and India is being seen as a game changer for Xi’s plans…

China recently wrapped up the “two sessions'' of its national legislature and top political advisory body. Beyond the confirmation of an unprecedented third term for President Xi Jinping and the unveiling of his new leadership team, the annual gatherings in Beijing are key indicators of the country's economic, military and foreign policy direction. China expert and veteran journalist Chow Chung-yan, the South China Morning Post’s executive editor, breaks it down for us. In this episode of…

Kevin Kwong and Luisa Tam talk about the stories from mainland China that grabbed people's attention this week. Find more stories from the SCMP People and Culture desk: https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture

Holly Chik speaks with SCMP political economy editor Wendy Wu about how Xi Jinping's reference to 'brotherhood and love' for China's entrepreneurs has been received, and what the latest economic data portends for the plans put forward at the Two Sessions. Senior journalist William Zheng analyses the speeches of Xi Jinping and newly ascended premier Li Qiang.