Inside China

With slower growth in China’s economy, young professionals and middle-class people across the country are tightening their belts and cutting down on spending. But what can the rest of the world expect from diminished demand in the second-biggest economy?

Two years after taking office as Hong Kong's chief executive, John Lee has shifted his focus from enforcing national security to improving the lives of residents and rebuilding the city's economy. But he faces formidable challenges, stemming from geopolitical tensions between China and the West with Hong Kong caught in the middle. Lee discusses all this and more with the Post's managing editor of content, Yonden Lhatoo, in this extended version of Talking Post.

How does a country deepen its relationship and do business with China without risking retaliation by the US and its allies? How can a nation protect its territorial claims in the South China Sea yet maintain a delicate balancing act with its neighbours with their own views and claims? Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim discusses these issues and more, including his deep anguish over the Israel-Gaza war, in this extended version of Talking Post with Yonden Lhatoo.

The European Union and the United States claim that China is flooding global markets with cheap goods. China says these assertions are groundless. Post Europe correspondent Finbarr Bermingham breaks down the arguments for and against overcapacity, and looks at whether the EU and China are heading towards a trade war. Read more about this: https://sc.mp/a1e73f 

The US has been grappling with an opioid crisis for decades, but the problem has been exacerbated by the arrival of fentanyl – a synthetic drug 50 times more potent than heroin. What roles do China and India play in the global illicit fentanyl trade? Post correspondent Khushboo Razdan and independent investigative journalist Ben Westhoff walk us through their reporting. For more on this: https://sc.mp/8c9626 

Domestic tourism in China is steadily recovering, but what about inbound tourism? Post senior correspondent Ralph Jennings has a look at who is visiting China and who is not and explores the various hurdles foreigners face when travelling to China. For more on China travel: https://sc.mp/facef8

Hong Kong’s urban jungle was once regularly visited by wild tigers, with sightings of the big cats until the 1960s. While local history books only mention tiger killings in 1915 and 1942, the animals appear in oral accounts, newspapers and John Saeki's 2022 book The Last Tigers of Hong Kong – which tells tales of deadly attacks and terrified villagers hearing roars and frantic pig squealing. In this podcast, the Post tracks down Hong Kong’s links to the critically endangered South China tiger. 🐅

China is turning science fiction into fact, whether through the development of nuclear reactors for interplanetary space travel or the use of artificial intelligence to fight corruption. The Post’s science editor Stephen Chen and science reporter Holly Chik discuss some of the latest achievements by China’s scientific community and how the country is nurturing the next generation of scientists. Read the latest on China science: https://sc.mp/a3caf7   

China has just concluded its biggest annual plenary event in Beijing, the “two sessions” of its top legislative and political advisory bodies. Post executive editor and resident China expert Chow Chung-yan sits down with managing editor Yonden Lhatoo in this extended version of Talking Post to unpack it all. Watch the video interview: https://sc.mp/6dae8c 

How might a second Trump presidency affect US relations with China, North Korea, Japan, Asean, India and more? Post US bureau chief Robert Delaney compares and analyses the foreign policies of incumbent President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump and explores whether Beijing prefers one over the other. Read the latest on the US presidential 2024 elections: https://sc.mp/0d0073 

A century-old American trade provision known as the “de minimis” rule has drawn the attention of some US lawmakers. They argue that the rule gives Chinese e-commerce platforms, such as Temu, an unfair advantage over American retailers. Post reporter Siqi Ji explores the arguments for scrapping the rule and explains why changing it will be hard despite bipartisan support. Read Siqi’s story: https://sc.mp/5c57e8

Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami team travelled to Hong Kong for a highly anticipated football match on February 4, 2024. But the game ended with boos and demands for refunds after the player often referred to as the “greatest of all time” never took the field. Post sports editor Josh Ball has more on an event that for many was the greatest let-down of all time. For the latest updates: https://sc.mp/7a29b0 

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made the South its “principal enemy” in proposed changes to the country’s constitution. He has also ended hopes of reunification, while intensifying missile tests. Is the Korean peninsula on the brink of war? Former CIA analyst and North Korean expert Soo Kim has more. Read the full story: https://sc.mp/u6mb 

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 

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 

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

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 

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.  

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…

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. 

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.