Podcasts by Inside China
Want to learn more about China first-hand, from reporters on the ground? In every episode, we take a deep-dive into a specific topic, mixing independent reporting and exclusive interviews to bring you unique insights into an emerging potential superpower. Now, we
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The resurrection of China’s video gaming industry from 2023-12-11T09:18:26
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. Pos...
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Why Taiwan is a‘life-or-death question’for China: Cui Tiankai on US-China tension from 2023-11-30T03:00:12
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 coun...
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Where China stands on the Israel-Gaza war from 2023-11-10T12:05:17
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 medi...
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SCMP Spotlight: migrant workers who helped transform China now struggling to survive from 2023-10-17T16:07:51
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 o...
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Why the US-China cold war is heating up in public from 2023-10-13T09:00:24
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 l...
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Can Hong Kong get its nightlife alive and kicking again? from 2023-10-04T17:25:59
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 ...
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SCMP Spotlight: Chinese investors scramble to sell overseas properties from 2023-09-28T10:01:42
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 ...
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SCMP Spotlight: middle class in China and US fear losing their status from 2023-09-22T18:00:13
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...
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Hong Kong flooded by‘once-in-a-century’rainstorm from 2023-09-15T08:00:21
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 t...
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SCMP Spotlight: death and debt in China from 2023-09-11T17:11:59
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...
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China's crossroads of crisis: Europe 'de-risking', Country Garden and Xi's policy problems from 2023-09-10T14:12:49
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 Chin...
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China’s undeclared trade war on Australia: reality versus rhetoric from 2023-09-08T18:35:32
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 Aus...
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China’s fear and loathing for Fukushima: science versus social media from 2023-08-30T12:02:56
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 nuc...
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1. Biden’s China tech policy: de-risking or decoupling? from 2023-08-18T18:40:28
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“s...
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2. Follow the AI money: China, the Quad and Southeast Asia from 2023-08-18T18:40:07
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 ar...
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3. US vs China’s scientists, chip makers and electronics markets from 2023-08-18T18:38:50
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 technologica...
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4. Friend or foe: 44 years of the US-China science agreement from 2023-08-18T18:38:32
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...
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5. Hello, my old China from 2023-07-14T17:25:23
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...
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4. Lying flat, letting it rot: the last generation from 2023-07-14T17:24:50
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 ...
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3. Millennials, GenZ and hire education from 2023-07-14T17:24:31
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 ...
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2. All the single ladies: the rise of China’s“leftover women” from 2023-07-14T17:24:18
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...
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1. Birth of a crisis: the demographic revolution from 2023-07-14T17:24:02
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...
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Coming soon: China's demographic revolution from 2023-07-05T14:47:39
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”....
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China, climate change and El Nino: an emerging food, water and power crisis from 2023-06-16T08:53:25
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...
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Talking Hong Kong crypto: Vivien Khoo; Asia Crypto Alliance, Satoshi Women, Web3 Women from 2023-05-31T13:25:22
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 i...
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Talking Hong Kong crypto: Neil Tan, chairman of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong from 2023-05-31T13:18:58
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...
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Hong Kong’s retail crypto rules: how they work, mainland China’s involvement from 2023-05-31T12:49:04
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 Chi...
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China’s new crackdowns: US chip maker Micron, consultants, diligence firms from 2023-05-24T16:48:59
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 t...
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Chinese diplomacy: Beijing looms over Indo-Pacific, G7, US, Taiwan and Ukraine from 2023-05-17T17:48:31
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 Delan...
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China’s first ChatGPT arrest, Beijing’s AI laws take shape as job losses begin from 2023-05-12T15:46:51
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 Fe...
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People and Society with Luisa Tam and Kevin Kwong: May edition from 2023-05-11T09:37:08
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 ga...
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274 million Chinese take a holiday: why‘golden week’2023 was different from 2023-05-05T16:01:36
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 dis...
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China’s space plans: lunar GPS, a 3D-printed moon base and soil samples from Mars from 2023-04-28T15:08:25
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 d...
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ChatGPT: the Hong Kong stock market, China’s military and re-creating the dead from 2023-04-21T10:33:51
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...
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Who makes the rules for AI chatbots? China vs the US vs Europe from 2023-04-14T17:09:20
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 ind...
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ChatGPT is changing Hong Kong: but does Open AI or the government know? from 2023-04-14T16:56:20
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...
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‘Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow’: Beijing’s Moscow alliance vs Japan and Europe from 2023-03-30T13:31:55
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...
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People and society with Luisa Tam and Kevin Kwong from 2023-03-17T09:58:35
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/pe...
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Analysis: Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, the Two Sessions and China’s economic plans from 2023-03-15T15:47:13
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 da...
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Everything Everywhere All At Once: Asian actors make Oscars history, Asian stories change the industry from 2023-03-13T17:57:46
Jasmine Tse hosts a special episode celebrating the success of Michelle Yeoh and her film Everything, Everywhere All At Once at the 2023 Oscars. Senior culture reporter Lisa Cam explains the power ...
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‘Two sessions’, China’s foreign policy and Taiwan: what the US response reveals from 2023-03-10T16:18:33
The Post’s Kinling Lo reports from Beijing on its annual political assembly known as the‘two sessions’, in a week when Chinese President Xi Jinping made an unusual direct remark on US policy while ...
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China’s‘two sessions’: How Xi Jinping’s economic and security plans will play out from 2023-03-02T17:21:35
China’s president Xi Jinping will seek to consolidate his power and update Beijing’s economic and security policies in the coming‘two sessions’meetings. Hear analysis on the expected ministerial ch...
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China and the Russia-Ukraine War: a year of changing relationships from 2023-02-24T14:35:19
It is now just over one year since Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin declared China and Russia's“no limits”friendship, just weeks before the Russian leader announced he had ordered troops into Ukraine....
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China, ChatGPT and the new AI tech revolution from 2023-02-17T11:27:35
While not officially released in China, the arrival of ChatGPT has sparked huge interest on Chinese social media and set off a race between tech giants Baidu, Tencent and Alibaba to develop similar...
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People and society update with Luisa Tam from 2023-02-10T10:55:13
SCMP Culture desk editor Kevin Kwong and China People and Society edesk editor Luisa Tam discuss the stories that have been most popular on scmp.com over the past week. What do you prefer - a deadl...
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How Hong Kong's masks, social distancing and homeschooling changed its children from 2023-02-09T17:47:03
SCMP science reporter Holly Chik presents the final in a series on how Hong Kong’s Covid policies have affected its economy and people. Child development expert Dr Fanny Lam, expert and founder of ...
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How Covid changed Hong Kong: vaccine politics, dining disruption, economic shock from 2023-02-07T22:43:36
Holly Chik presents the third in a series looking at Hong Kong’s unique experience in this pandemic. Senior culture reporter Lisa Cam analyses the shocks and the changes to Hong Kong's famed restau...
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How Hong Kong turned to Twitter and Facebook during the pandemic from 2023-02-06T16:43:20
Amid a tsunami of conspiracy, misinformation and xenophobia on social media during the pandemic, Hong Kong saw something special on Twitter and Facebook. City desk reporter Laura Westbrook discusse...
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Hong Kong at the edge of pandemic, three years on from 2023-02-03T19:01:59
SCMP journalist Holly Chik presents the first in a series looking at how the pandemic changed Hong Kong, how its people used social media to support each other among constantly changing restriction...
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Lunar New Year: your guide to rabbits, red envelopes, reunion meals and more from 2023-01-20T16:45:21
Holly Chik speaks with Post culture desk senior reporter Lisa Cam about the traditions for Lunar New Year in Hong Kong and among the broader Chinese diaspora around the world. Learn about what lies...
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China’s birth rate crisis: why are fewer Chinese women choosing motherhood? from 2023-01-19T17:34:03
Holly Chik looks at China's demographic crisis: a birth rate at its lowest in 60 years and a rapidly ageing workforce approaching retirement. Beijing-based reporter Luna Sun discusses the pressures...
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China opens borders, says Covid’s peaked amid drug shortage, hospital crisis and XBB variant from 2023-01-09T18:19:09
SCMP science reporter Holly Chik reports on mainland China opening its borders after three years, as the Omicron surge continues to wreak havoc. HKU epidemiologist Prof Ben Cowling contrasts the Ho...
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China drops zero-Covid: can it cope with what comes next? from 2022-12-09T16:56:20
Mimi Lau presents the latest episode on China's pivot away from nearly three years of zero-Covid policies; Beijing-based reporter Luna Sun speaks of the confusion among residents and business owner...
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Are protests in Beijing, Shanghai and beyond changing China’s zero-Covid policy? from 2022-12-02T16:58:25
Hear first-hand accounts of the zero Covid protests in Shanghai and Beijing; Mimi Lau speaks with Beijing-based reporters Luna Sun and Shi Jiangtao about the threats to food security caused by zero...
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The World Cup, an iPhone factory riot and mass lockdowns: China’s zero covid quandary from 2022-11-25T12:48:59
Mimi Lau speaks with mainland China-based reporters Coco Feng and Luna Sun about the effect of district-based lockdowns in Beijing and rising discontent over the nation’s zero-Covid policy, as Worl...
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Guangzhou a 'ghost city', workers flee Foxconn iPhone factory; China’s zero-Covid paradox from 2022-11-11T15:48:03
Shenzhen-based reporter Phoebe Zhang reports on the districts of the giant southern Chinese manufacturing hub undergoing lockdowns and mass testing, the mass exodus of workers from the Apple suppli...
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Xi’s new era: analysing China’s 20th Party Congress from 2022-10-27T15:26:15
Mimi Lau presents the second part of the Post analysis of China’s 20th Communist Party congress. Beijing-based editors Mai Jun and Wendy Wu unpack the deep changes to the party beyond the ascent of...
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What will happen at China's 20th Party Congress: Xi's historic third term and changes to his inner circle from 2022-10-14T18:33:06
Mimi Lau presents an episode looking at the historic 20th party congress in Beijing, what it means for China’s Communist Party and what we can expect from it. Veteran China diplomacy experts Willia...
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'World’s worst' heatwave in China triggers energy, food and water crises from 2022-09-02T17:39:02
Two months of record-breaking heatwaves in the Sichuan province of south west China, resulted in widespread power outages as rivers ran dry, exposing the weakness in the region’s reliance on hydroe...
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Chip shock: China vs the US in the battle for semiconductor supremacy from 2022-08-19T18:10:46
Now Washington has passed the US Chips and Science Act with tens of billions of dollars for the US semiconductor industry, what of its effect on China? Post technology journalist Xinmei Shen speaks...
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How China’s bank scandal and mortgage boycott have Beijing scrambling to respond from 2022-07-21T17:27:06
Post journalist Holly Chik and Beijing-based reporter Amanda Lee look into the Henan bank scandal where savings accounts were frozen and a subsequent protest was violently quashed; business desk re...
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Shanghai faces expat exodus amid economic and mental health crisis: Xi doubles down on zero Covid from 2022-05-13T16:53:51
Jasmine Tse presents the latest episode looking at the ongoing lockdown in Shanghai, as China pursues increasingly draconian zero Covid measures. Video reporter Thomas Yau reports in life inside th...
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Shanghai, Beijing and the Omicron 'new normal'; economic critics of zero Covid silenced from 2022-05-04T19:30:04
SCMP China desk reporter Holly Chik looks at how mass testing and lockdowns are affecting Beijing and Shanghai. Video reporter Thomas Yau reports on ongoing stress and anger of residents in Puxi di...
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Shanghai’s simmering rage, Beijing sweats on lockdown; China’s vaccine gaps exposed from 2022-04-28T17:40:10
As parts of Shanghai enter a sixth week of lockdown, SCMP video producer Thomas Yau reports from Puxi district on the mood of residents, as more videos elude censorship, including the viral Voice o...
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Shanghai crisis: street brawls, social media storm, global shipping slowed, Xi's political test from 2022-04-21T10:22:37
SCMP reporter Holly Chik speaks with video journalist Thomas Yau from the Puxi district on bartering for food, increasingly violent street clashes appearing on social media and protest banners dema...
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Shanghai's lockdown crisis, China's zero-Covid crossroads, a global trade threat from 2022-04-13T20:28:53
SCMP journalists in Shanghai report on the ongoing lockdown in the Puxi district. Thomas Yau discusses rising tensions among residents amid supply shortages, why he’s bartering noodles for toothpa...
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Shanghai split in two as megacity locks down to fight Omicron variant surge from 2022-03-31T12:42:28
China’s most-populous city Shanghai has plunged its people into a historic half-half lockdown, starting with all districts east of the Huangpu River to be followed by similar measures for all areas...
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Hong Kong’s Omicron crisis: testing, health systems, supply chains on the brink from 2022-02-17T14:57:30
SCMP’s Mimi Lau presents the latest update on Hong Kong's Omicron surge, with reporter Gigi Choy discussing images of the sick and elderly in beds on the streets outside overcrowded hospitals;, Wil...
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Hong Kong's zero-Covid crossroads: Dr Ben Cowling's forecast, Singapore's lessons from 2022-02-10T17:05:22
Hong Kong is desperately implementing new Covid-19 rules and penalties in an effort to stop the spread of the Omicron variant. The SCMP’s Hong Kong reporter Gigi Choy explains how one case became h...
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Hong Kong Omicron: hamster cull outrage, zero Covid crumbles, finance exodus from 2022-01-27T15:56:13
Hear about Hong Kong’s fifth wave of the pandemic. Microbiologist Dr Siddharth Sridhar unpacks Hong Kong's 2020-era zero Covid policy as the reality of low vaccinations in the elderly and the Omicr...
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Beijing battles Omicron outbreaks; Hong Kong culls hamsters, restaurants in crisis from 2022-01-20T13:56:54
As the Winter Olympics and the Lunar New Year holiday loom, Mimi Lau looks at Beijing's desperate measures to maintain its zero-Covid policy amid new outbreaks in Tianjin and Henan province. Holly ...
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China’s year of the crackdown: gaming, IPOs, live streaming and tutoring from 2021-12-31T16:32:32
SCMP journalist Xinmei Shen is joined by her fellow technology reporters Josh Ye and Jane Zhang to unpack and analyse the numerous crackdowns Chinese authorities have launched on the nation's tech ...
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Beijing Olympics diplomatic boycott: what it means and echoes of Moscow 1980 from 2021-12-08T17:50:22
Mimi Lau talks with SCMP deputy sports editor Josh Ball about the diplomatic snub announced on the Beijing Winter Olympics; historian Nicholas Sarantakes recaps the saga of the 1980 Moscow Olympic ...
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Dr Ben Cowling: Omicron, border closures, Hong Kong quarantine and mainland China from 2021-12-05T07:00:19
SCMP digital editor Jarrod Watt speaks with Professor Ben Cowling, Chair Professor of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong. Cowling has been on previous episod...
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What Omicron means; a historic pandemic treaty; China’s new Covid antibody drugs and boosters from 2021-12-02T20:15:09
SCMP reporters Mimi Lau, Simone McCarthy and Josephine Ma discuss the latest coronavirus news from inside mainland China and around the world. Hear what we know about the variant called Omicron, th...
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Why Peng Shuai matters: #MeToo in China, WTA, Olympics and global narrative from 2021-11-24T16:55:22
Mimi Lau looks at how a since-deleted social media post by Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has ignited global concern for her welfare, China’s state media reply on Twitter response and a billion-dol...
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China after COP26: how does the country move on from coal? from 2021-11-17T22:59:12
SCMP China desk reporter Holly Chik presents the second part of our series looking at the technological and economic changes under way in order for China to meet its 2030 and 2050 carbon emissions ...
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Analysing Xi Jinping’s historic resolution and China’s future from 2021-11-12T18:00:13
Mimi Lau speaks with the Post’s Beijing-based news editor Mai Jun about the historic resolution issued by the Sixth Plenum of the 19th Central Committee in Beijing. How does it compare to the previ...
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China and COP26: coal powered crisis as renewable energy rises from 2021-10-31T16:00:18
With the COP26 global climate summit being seen as one of the last chances for the planet, SCMP China desk reporter Holly Chik looks at how China's ongoing power crisis has lead to a huge shake-up ...
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The metaverse beyond Facebook: Tencent, ByteDance, Roblox, Fortnite go all in from 2021-10-28T09:28:15
Are you ready, player one? A change is coming, promising to transform the web into the“metaverse”. SCMP tech desk reporters Xinmei Shen and Josh Ye analyse what it means, and why the likes of Faceb...
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Xi Jinping, Kunming COP15 and China’s escalating power crisis from 2021-10-14T17:18:11
SCMP reporter Echo Xie reports from Kunming and the COP15 Biodiversity conference, where China’s president Xi Jinping announced a $US232 million fund for developing nations to protect biodiversity,...
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China’s coal crisis: how to balance supply, demand and a changing climate from 2021-10-06T16:19:20
Mass power outages, factories with restricted hours and the prospect of major disruptions in the production of Christmas retail goods. This is the reality of China's three-pronged power crisis, com...
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Meng Wanzhou and the two Michaels: what’s next for Huawei, Canada and China? from 2021-09-29T16:43:12
SCMP tech journalist Xinmei Shen speaks with Vancouver-based correspondent Ian Young about his three years covering Meng Wanzhou, how her court saga irrevocably changed Canada’s relationship with C...
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Evergrande debt crisis: China’s‘Lehman moment’vs Xi’s‘Common Prosperity’ from 2021-09-23T17:35:15
Mimi Lau speaks with SCMP reporter Pearl Liu about the background to the US$300 billion debt crisis for China's property giant Evergrande, the warning signs from 2019 and escalating events this yea...
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China's online gaming ban: the players, the parents and an industry reset from 2021-09-15T16:15:13
SCMP tech journalists Xinmei Shen and Josh Ye analyse the the impact of Beijing's crackdown on online gaming for players under 18. Hear how the ban is driving players to Steam and other servers in ...
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Beyond the Wuhan lab leak theory, Beijing vs zero covid, new MRNA vaccines and a China/US partnership from 2021-08-26T19:14:19
SCMP reporter Mimi Lau speaks with fellow journalist Simone McCarthy about the call from WHO investigators for a second audit of lab facilities in and around Wuhan, just as US president Joe Biden's...
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Beijing smashes China’s multibillion-dollar after-school tutoring industry from 2021-08-05T12:37:08
SCMP tech reporter Xinmei Shen provides context and analysis of the latest regulatory crackdown by Beijing authorities, this time on the multibillion-dollar industry around after-school tutoring. B...
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China's 'Dragon Man': does the fossil change the human evolution story? from 2021-07-29T18:00:10
Mimi Lau presents the story of how a Chinese worker on a forced labour gang in northeastern Heilongjiang province in 1933 found a mysterious-looking skull, only to stash it in a well for safekeepin...
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Reporting from flood-ravaged Henan; short videos&crowd-sourced spreadsheets to the rescue from 2021-07-26T21:53:16
SCMP reporter Amber Wang reports on the damage to Zhengzhou and surrounding cities in Henan province as millions of people continue the recovery from disastrous floods. Tech reporter Tracy Qu discu...
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Flood crisis in China's crossroads megacity: disaster in Zhengzhou from 2021-07-21T20:40:08
Mimi Lau reports on the developing flood disaster in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou following record-smashing rains which have pushed the Yellow River to extreme heights, displacing hundreds...
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China's cybersecurity police widen clampdown on big tech IPOs and livestreaming from 2021-07-14T20:50:08
Following the crackdown on ride-hailing firm Didi, China’s cybersecurity police have turned up the heat on other mainland tech firms with US IPO plans, by ordering data security reviews of Chinese ...
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Why Beijing put the brakes on Didi in China following its US IPO from 2021-07-07T17:25:14
Days after China's biggest ride-hailing app Didi launched a multibillion-dollar IPO on Wall Street, Beijing's internet watchdog removed it from China's app stores, claiming data being collected was...
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Taiwan and the semiconductor crisis: how will China and the US respond? from 2021-07-01T08:30:12
How did one factory in Taiwan become the sole reason why new cars, iPhones, gaming consoles and consumer whitegoods are facing delays in production? SCMP tech editors John Artman and Zhou Xin pull ...
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Building China‘s new space station, Beijing’s moon base plans and its growing space industry from 2021-06-24T16:15:15
Mimi Lau presents a deep-dive into China's expansion plans for its new space station, its new Hubble-style telescope and its invitation for (most) nations to collaborate, as well as its timeline to...
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Huawei’s new Harmony operating system: can it beat the Android-Apple duopoly? from 2021-06-16T17:57
In this week’s Inside China, Xinmei Shen presents a deep dive into the new operating system Huawei has unveiled for phones, tablets and devices. SCMP tech editor John Artman analyses how the tech w...
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Why the Wuhan lab leak theory matters; how Guangzhou's Covid-19 outbreak could affect the world from 2021-06-11T12:55
Reporting from China's newest Covid-19 outbreak in Guangzhou, where lockdowns, mass testing, and mass quarantine are being deployed for China's busiest export and trade hub; analysing how politics,...
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China 2020 census: playing the numbers game from 2021-05-11T20:00:14
Mainland China's once-per-decade census has been released, showing overall population growth despite demographers stating China’s population is likely to start shrinking in the next few years. The ...
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China's anti-trust issues: wielding the big stick on Big Tech from 2021-05-03T14:30:13
After years of turbocharged growth, China’s leading tech firms have come under intense scrutiny from Beijing. The record fines slapped on Alibaba, which owns the South China Morning Post, sent alar...
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Dr Ben Cowling on Hong Kong&herd immunity; China's new vaccine, passport politics and COVAX from 2021-03-23T09:25:06
Dr Ben Cowling from the HKU School of Public Health discusses what herd immunity looks like for Hong Kong and how new Covid-19 variants will affect vaccinations; SCMP reporter Simone McCarthy discu...
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China's feminist backlash; the women who #ChoosetoChallenge marriage and motherhood from 2021-03-08T12:05:16
Mimi Lau presents an International Women's Day special: Phoebe Zhang reports on the backlash against feminists and women's rights activists, as well the ongoing fight for single women to be allowed...
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China's historic 2021 Two Sessions: what will happen from 2021-02-26T17:00:10
Mimi Lau explains the workings of China's two annual political meetings that include the world's largest parliamentary gathering, the National People's Congress. Beijing-based reporter Mai Jun look...
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Explaining Douyin, TikTok and why ByteDance is listing on the New York Stock Exchange from 2021-02-19T18:45:13
If China's tech giant ByteDance lists on the US stock exchange it will be the first Chinese social media company to launch an IPO in American stock history. Zhou Xin discusses the background to thi...
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Chinese zodiac Year of the Ox forecasts: wealth, health, love and luck from 2021-02-11T16:30:17
Beijing-based reporter Qin Chen presents a Lunar New Year special on the forecasts for the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac. SCMP China society editor Luisa Tam has consulted with top feng shui maste...
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How China's Lunar New Year is affected by the Covid-19 pandemic from 2021-02-10T20:00:19
China is trying to contain outbreaks of Covid-19 during the Lunar New Year by asking its citizens to stay where they are instead of travelling home for the annual re-union dinner. Kinling Lo speaks...
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China's Tianwen-1 Mars mission and its fast-growing space industry from 2021-02-05T17:35:09
SCMP journalist Nadeem Shad speaks with freelance space journalist and China space industry expert Andrew Jones about the Tianwen-1 mission to Mars, and the audacious plan to deliver a vehicle to t...
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Covid-19 one year on: return to Wuhan, WHO inquiry begins, how it changed China from 2021-01-24T16:05:08
Mimi Lau and Kinling Lo speak with fellow journalists at the South China Morning Post, one year after our first podcast reporting on the coronavirus outbreak which became a pandemic. Simone McCarth...
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Explaining China's five Covid vaccines, test results and global distribution plans from 2021-01-17T22:15:07
Analysis of China's five Covid-19 vaccines now in the final phase of testing, and plans for global distribution. Kinling Lo speaks with Josephine Ma about vaccines developed by Sinovac, CanSino, Si...
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Huawei and the US: what next for 5G, phones&Meng Wanzhou from 2020-12-11T13:25:14
Is the US trying to contain Huawei - or kill it? SCMP tech editor John Artman analyses the increasing US sanctions on Huawei's access to high-tech tools and silicon chips and what it means for the ...
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Covid vaccine reality: supply, anxiety, QR codes&'Covid normal' travel from 2020-12-04T21:20:07
Kinling Lo looks at vaccine success and the issues ahead: SCMP China desk editor Josephine Ma previews the supply chain issues for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, price comparison with others as w...
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What will change in US-China relations under Biden and Blinken? from 2020-11-27T17:30:13
What will change after four years of Trump's inflammatory anti-China rhetoric, ruinous trade war, and escalating technology war against Chinese companies? Mimi Lau and Kinling Lo speak with SCMP Wa...
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Chinese Americans and the US election: why generational change and Asian representation matters from 2020-11-09T19:45:07
Despite 'China' being a huge US election issue, not much was said about how Chinese Americans might vote - and election analysis spent very little time on the complexity of the 11 million Asian Ame...
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China's Covid vaccines: mass inoculations begin, what the global Covax deal means from 2020-10-30T16:05:13
Hundreds of thousands of people in mainland China have already received Covid19 vaccines. Josephine Ma details the enthusiasm for Chinese people to pay to take vaccines that are still classified as...
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Behind the Beijing Vatican deal and its links to US election 2020, Taiwan and Hong Kong from 2020-10-23T16:40:13
Mimi Lau and Kinling Lo analyse the deal announced between the Vatican and Beijing over the nomination of Roman Catholic bishops in mainland China and to reveal the broader links to the US presiden...
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US election 2020 and China: reset, repeat or revenge? from 2020-10-16T18:02:02
Mimi Lau and Kinling Lo analyse the US presidential election from a Chinese perspective: what have trade war and the escalating tech war done to the Chinese economy, and would a potential Biden pre...
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China's Golden Week and Mid Autumn Festival: nexus of culture, economics and political strategy from 2020-09-26T00:05:05
This year's Mid Autumn Festival coincides with China's national day and its 'Golden Week' holiday. SCMP Political Economy editor Zhou Xin breaks down why this makes for a test of Beijing's economic...
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Risk of war? The background to the South China Sea dispute from 2020-09-18T15:20:13
Alan Wong from Inkstone unpacks the background and the economics of the South China Sea dispute. Learn about the Nine Dash Line, freedom of navigation, the economic importance to China and how this...
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Understanding Mulan: controversy, culture, feminism and China from 2020-09-11T20:15:13
The Ballad of Mulan is a 1,500 year old poem many Chinese kids learn to recite. Amidst the release of the latest Disney remake of Mulan, journalist Elaine Yau unpacks the controversies, the #Boycot...
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How the US wields the Hong Kong Autonomy Act from 2020-09-04T15:50:07
When Donald Trump signed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, he claimed Hong Kong had taken 'billions' from the US. Hear analysis of how this act strips Hong Kong of its special trading status, ends the 'M...
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Huawei vs the United States: from entity to enemy from 2020-08-21T17:50:06
SCMP technology editor John Artman unpacks the latest escalation in the US-China tech war, and the US Commerce Department's announcement restricting Huawei from accessing US-made semiconductors or ...
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Explaining WeChat: China's super app Donald Trump wants banned from 2020-08-18T11:20:13
The app that has 19 million daily US users faces an impending ban on 'transactions'. Phoebe Zhang in Shenzhen reports on how this impacts Chinese iPhone users; Professor Wanning Sun unpacks how the...
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Covid-19 vaccine diplomacy, nationalism and China from 2020-08-07T16:55:05
Mimi Lau and Kinling Lo present a deep-dive into the current state of Covid-19 vaccine development from China. Reporter Simone McCarthy analyses moves by Beijing to use vaccine development as a new...
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Explaining China's flood crisis as the Yangtze River continues to rise from 2020-07-31T16:50:05
Mimi Lau explains how two months of record-breaking torrential rains and decades of land reclamation and waterway diversion have helped contribute to the ongoing flood crisis in the Yangtze River b...
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On the brink: China and India's border standoff from 2020-07-24T11:40:10
How did the brutal confrontation between Chinese and Indian soldiers along the disputed Line of Actual Control in the Himalayas in June change the relationship between these two nuclear-armed neigh...
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Covid-19 new wave: mask policies change, secondary lockdowns and Facebook support groups from 2020-07-20T16:40:06
Dr Ben Cowling from the HKU School of Public Health discusses changing attitudes on masks, the WHO controversy about airborne particles and his forecast for 2020; behavioral economist Jamie Lien di...
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How Covid-19 changed the Australia-China relationship from 2020-07-10T14:30:06
In April, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an independent inquiry into the source of the coronavirus pandemic to be lead by the WHO. China's ambassador replied with veiled threat...
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Surviving Covid-19: stories of recovery and resilience from 2020-06-26T19:55:14
Media coverage of global infection numbers and the death toll from the coronavirus often misses a third number: the millions of people who have recovered. In this episode you'll hear from Meg Uppal...
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Beijing Covid-19 outbreak: Xinfadi market closure impact, how it's affecting residents from 2020-06-19T22:30:07
Beijing-based reporters Echo Xie and Qin Chen report on the outbreak of coronavirus at the Xinfadi wholesale market, how it's impacting on food supplies to Beijing supermarkets, how security lockdo...
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Covid-19 vaccine tests, the ethics of human trials, vaccine nationalism & Big Pharma from 2020-06-12T14:45:10
Josephine Ma reports the latest on vaccine testing in mainland China, the deep ethical concerns over 'human challenge' trials and the reality of political promises of a vaccine to be ready by Septe...
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Two Sessions analysis: Hong Kong security law, the 5 year plan and a jobs crisis from 2020-05-29T18:30:11
Beijing-based reporter Mai Jun explains what it's like to report on the "two sessions", China's annual parliamentary meetings, under pandemic-level security and how a brief moment captured on camer...
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China’s Two Sessions explained: what to expect, why it’s so important for Beijing from 2020-05-21T11:35:09
Amid global criticism for the coronavirus pandemic, a record slump in economic growth and huge unemployment, China will hold its annual “two sessions” of the National People’s Congress and Chinese ...
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Coronavirus mutation, vaccines, testing & China's Wolf Warriors vs the world from 2020-05-18T14:50:07
The coronavirus is mutating - how does that affect possible vaccines? Hear from Prof. Malik Pieris, who isolated the SARS virus in 2003, about this development as well as how antibody testing will ...
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How Wuhan, the 5G conspiracy, mask diplomacy and coronavirus converge from 2020-04-24T19:35:14
SCMP journalists Mimi Lau and Kinling Lo present the latest coronavirus special: how attitudes in Vancouver and New York have changed towards masks; political economy journalist Finbarr Bermingham ...
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Coronavirus experience: what Hong Kong learned in two months of social distancing, home schooling and quarantine from 2020-04-03T16:05:09
One quarter of the world is now following the example set in Wuhan and Hubei province and locking down their populations; what has Hong Kong learned from the last two months of social distancing, h...
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Coronavirus pandemic: vaccines, patient zero, airlines & Hong Kong's economic pain from 2020-03-10T16:30:07
Mimi Lau and Kinling Lo return with a deep dive into the issues surrounding the global coronavirus outbreak. Dr Sarah Borwein discusses the need to find patient zero, and how Hong Kong's response h...
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China's coronavirus crisis: 5 demands for freedom; hacking social media censors; Hong Kong's trust issues from 2020-02-24T18:30:13
The fourth coronavirus special from the South China Morning Post; China desk editor Teddy Ng unpacks the questions being raised about President Xi Jinping, what he knew about the outbreak and when;...
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Forecasting coronavirus spread; Dr Li Wenliang & China's crisis; Hong Kong's 'infodemic' of panic from 2020-02-14T14:20:09
Senior Hong Kong epidemiologist Ben Cowling analyses the spread of coronavirus and the efforts to contain it; the German team forecasting which airports will see carriers of the virus; SCMP China d...
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Coronavirus goes global: voices from Wuhan, Hong Kong, Vancouver from 2020-02-08T22:45:05
Reporting on the coronavirus outbreak: voices from inside Wuhan; how Hong Kong's history with SARS influences behaviour today; forecasts for the duration and spread of the virus and updates on the ...
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Reporting on the Wuhan coronavirus from 2020-01-29T21:50:10
South China Morning Post reporters and editors discuss the outbreak of coronavirus from Wuhan, the stories they are covering and the misinformation and conspiracy theories they are confronting on s...
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China’s recycling revolution 04: confronting the global plastic crisis from 2019-09-30T17:00:14
A new modern phenomenon is causing a massive increase in single-use plastic packaging, overwhelming any positive effect of bans on plastic straws - but new technology might be able to join the dots...
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China’s recycling revolution 03: Hong Kong and Taiwan - one trash can, two systems from 2019-09-30T16:00:13
One city used an old English folk song to create a culture of recycling and domestic waste separation, while the other finds itself on the wrong side of China’s National Sword policy
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China's recycling revolution 02: Shanghai asks ‘What trash are you?’ from 2019-09-30T15:25:08
Inside the new waste disposal system brought in for tens of millions of residents one of China’s biggest cities, and finding the truth in the hype over hi-tech trash cans, RFID chips and the social...
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China's recycling revolution 01: How the National Sword policy caused global disruption from 2019-09-30T15:25:06
How China’s National Sword policy caused a global disruption to domestic recycling programmes, encouraged Southeast Asian nations to reject Western waste, and inspired a massive Chinese investment ...
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Behind the Tariffs 07: Epilogue, analysis and what next from 2019-07-11T17:25:04
A special epilogue podcast episode reveals how world trade changed in a year of tariffs and trade war between the US and China, and asks: will things ever be the same again? Vietnam has been reveal...
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Behind the tariffs 03: Solar cells and the exodus of Chinese companies from 2019-06-25T19:35:08
The march of manufacturing out of China continues, and it’s causing a labour shortage and an overheated real estate market in neighbouring Vietnam
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Behind the Tariffs 02: How bicycles link China and the US from 2019-06-25T19:35:05
How tariffs are unravelling supply chains that stretch from Shanghai to North Carolina, forcing American and Chinese manufacturers to change, cancel or make new plans
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Behind the Tariffs 01: Washing machines and the roots of the trade war from 2019-06-25T19:10:05
Investigating the roots of the US-China trade war, and how washing machines – plus a policy aimed at returning manufacturing jobs to the US – impacts consumers and the people selling them new appli...
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Behind the Tariffs 06: Salad spinners, tariff exemptions and supply chains from 2019-06-25T17:45:10
How a kitchen tool can teach you about tariff exemptions, innovation, patents and explain how China’s supply chains are unique in the world
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Behind the Tariffs 05: Handbags, game controllers and the IP battle from 2019-06-25T17:40:10
Why would an American entrepreneur choose to manufacture handbags in China? Why are shipments of gaming hardware from Hong Kong to New York being locked up?
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Behind the Tariffs 04: Trucks, trade and Hong Kong’s conundrum from 2019-06-25T17:40:08
How Hong Kong’s logistics and service economy is being battered by the effects of the US-China trade war
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Is this the golden age of Chinese science fiction? from 2019-03-31T23:30:11
The new generation of Chinese science fiction authors talk of their inspirations, their insights, and what makes science fiction in China special.
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