Each month a team of reporters and editors select a country or region in Asia and take an in-depth look at the stories making headlines (and those that should be). Joining them, our correspondents provide on-the-ground context to major developments and ongoing issues. Brought to you by the South China Morning Post.
What to expect from China under third-term President Xi Jinping
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…
3/24/2023 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 2 seconds
Asia in 2023: the post-pandemic new order
After a turbulent 2022 - which saw changes of leadership in countries like the Philippines and Malaysia, fluctuating stocks and foreign exchange markets, along with a gradual economic recovery from the pandemic - how will Asia look in 2023, politically, economically and socially? South China Morning Post Business Editor Eugene Tang and Asia Editor Bhavan Jaipragas give us their thoughts and insider insights, as well as responding to bold predictions from some of SCMP's subscribers on the Asian…
2/1/2023 • 53 minutes, 31 seconds
China’s Covid crisis: what went wrong and how bad is it?
China is struggling to contain the fallout from suddenly ending its draconian Covid-control regime. How bad is the situation and what’s next for the world’s second-largest economy?
Former SCMP editor-in-chief Wang Xiangwei, one of the most credible China experts on the scene, sits down with chief news editor Yonden Lhatoo to break it down.
1/18/2023 • 57 minutes, 10 seconds
‘China knows it’s getting stronger’: George Yeo on US-China tensions
Former Singapore foreign minister and long-time Hong Kong resident George Yeo has been called a “China whisperer” for his ability to explain Beijing’s ambitions and perspective to the rest of the world. In this extended version of Talking Post, Yeo sits down with chief news editor Yonden Lhatoo to discuss rising tensions between Beijing and Washington, Singapore’s role in the region and what the Singapore-Hong Kong rivalry means for the two financial hubs. Watch the Talking Post video version…
11/25/2022 • 37 minutes, 35 seconds
Neil deGrasse Tyson on China’s space program, science ignorance and UFOs
Dr Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the most recognizable and renowned science communicators in the world. He is famous for combining wisdom and wit to break down complex ideas for the masses and was recently interviewed for SCMP’s Talking Post video series. Here is an extended version of the Talking Post, where Tyson sits down with SCMP chief news editor Yonden Lhatoo to discuss China-US competition in space, UFOs and life after death and his new book ‘Starry Messenger: A Cosmic Perspective on…
11/21/2022 • 57 minutes, 49 seconds
From non-consensual porn to sextortion: exposing image-based abuse in Asia
Image-based abuse, including sextortion and non-consensual porn for profit, is on the rise in Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, the Philippines & Indonesia. SCMP presents a multinational collaboration, led by the SCMP Asia reporter Raquel Carvalho, exploring the trend through the voices of victims and those exposing abuse and fighting for justice. Hear a discussion with Carvalho and the journalists who worked on this project: https://bit.ly/ImageAbuseJournalism
Online feature: https://sc.mp…
9/21/2021 • 51 minutes, 47 seconds
Inside the yoga ball murders: how police solved one of Hong Kong’s most calculated crimes
In 2018 a professor from a Hong Kong university was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing his wife and daughter using a gas-filled yoga ball as his murder weapon. Prosecutors had accused the anaesthesiologist, who pleaded not guilty to murder, of putting a leaking yoga ball containing carbon monoxide inside a car driven by his wife. A police officer who found a deflated yoga ball began an investigation culminating in shocking courtroom revelations of a most calculated crime. Online feature…
12/17/2020 • 15 minutes, 49 seconds
Hong Kong Halloween special
Upon this Halloween the staff of the SCMP gather around a candle-lit microphone to tell some of Hong Kong's legendary ghost stories. Hear about the curse of the Seven Sisters, the haunted movie soundtrack that Hong Kong radio DJs call 'the Forbidden Song', the Girl with the Single Braid and the legendary tale of the Congee Delivery Boy and the Headless Mahjong Party. Presented by Kinling Lo, with voice talents from John Carter, Gigi Choy, Zinnia Lee, Brian Peach, Heidi Yeung, and Nadeem Shad…
10/30/2020 • 15 minutes, 38 seconds
Quitting alcohol in Hong Kong: a sport reporter's journey
How hard is it to quit alcohol if it defines your lifestyle? Patrick Blennerhassett moved to Hong Kong and quickly became immersed in a culture of long work hours and even longer hours drinking each night. Listen as he shares his journey and the people he met along the way as he quit alcohol, changed his lifestyle and began training for a marathon next year.
11/15/2019 • 26 minutes, 33 seconds
Roman Tam – singer of Hong Kong anthems and godfather of Canto-pop
The "Godfather of Canto-pop" left an indelible mark on Hong Kong culture with a prolific career that began in the 1970s, and his anthems are still being sung to unite protesters today.
10/18/2019 • 23 minutes, 14 seconds
Elections in Thailand and Indonesia, and the resurgence of measles in Southeast Asia
Analysing the recent Thai election result, assessing the players and politics driving the Indonesian election, and a look at the Southeast Asian factors behind the recent measles outbreak
4/9/2019 • 35 minutes, 52 seconds
What next for North Korea, Vietnam’s trade, tech and tourism transformation?
We discuss what comes next after the failure of the Trump-Kim summit in Hanoi, look at Vietnam’s economic windfall from the US-China trade war, and analyse the huge South Korean tourism trade and its push to become the Silicon Valley of South East Asia
3/12/2019 • 44 minutes, 4 seconds
Thai election analysis and the Russian gentrification of Pattaya
Analysis of the upcoming Thai elections after a week of tumultuous headlines; revelations of another side of the notorious district of Pattaya as Russian migrants move in.
2/16/2019 • 34 minutes, 47 seconds
Reporting the Lunar New Year in the Year of the Pig
James Legge speaks to SCMP journalists, video producers and editors about what stories always come around for Lunar New Year and what stories they’ve found for the coming Year of the Pig
2/4/2019 • 29 minutes, 30 seconds
Philippines deep dive
Three of the most impactful and important stories from the Philippines: life after vicious armed conflict, a social media furore provoked by a beauty pageant and the ongoing struggle for a free press in one of the most dangerous countries for journalists.
1/18/2019 • 37 minutes, 26 seconds
The life and legacy of Louis Cha ‘Jin Yong’
Zhou Xin talks about the cultural impact of Louis Cha's wuxia novels in mainland China as well as his pivotal role as founder and editor of Ming Pao.
11/15/2018 • 20 minutes, 19 seconds
How the SCMP covered Typhoon Mangkhut, Hong Kong’s most intense storm
Hear first-hand accounts of the most powerful storm Hong Kong has faced since records began.
