CNA Correspondent

From robot patrol dogs to AI doctors, Hangzhou is fast producing some of China's most talked-about tech companies. The city is best known as the home of Alibaba and, more recently, DeepSeek. But beyond the headlines, what makes Hangzhou such a powerful engine for innovation? CNA Senior Correspondent Tan Yew Guan speaks with Genevieve Woo about the talent, capital and government support behind one...

As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, it stands as the world's largest economy and commands the most powerful military. Yet confidence in its institutions has eroded, political divisions run deep and many question the nation's trajectory. From symbolic shifts on the White House grounds to the rise of China and the heavy cost of global leadership, Genevieve Woo and Senior Correspondent...

China has a new buzzword: Emotional value. It is used to explain everything from blind box obsessions and AI companions to why young people are hiring strangers to climb mountains with them. In this episode of the CNA Correspondent podcast, Genevieve Woo and Correspondent Krystal Chia explore the rise of China’s emotional economy and examine what this growing search for comfort and connectio...

The FIFA World Cup 2026 was always going to be unprecedented. Three host nations, 16 cities and 48 teams across an entire continent. What nobody quite expected was how much drama would happen off the pitch. The tournament kicked off amid an ongoing US-Iran conflict, Africa's top referee was denied entry to America, fans have paid record prices for tickets and the three co-hosts - the US, Canada an...

Almost six months ago, two gunmen opened fire on hundreds of Jewish families celebrating Hanukkah near Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Fifteen people were killed and more than 40 wounded in the December 14, 2025 attack - Australia's worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years. In the aftermath, Parliament passed stricter hate crime and gun ownership laws, announced a national buyback scheme and launched a...

The numbers going into 2026 were some of the best in aviation history. Then, US and Israeli strikes on Iran led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, choking off a fifth of the world's oil supplies. Carriers saw jet fuel prices surge by more than 120% and braced for supply shortages, cancelling thousands of flights and raising airfares. Some budget airlines have already shut down, and others cou...

Traditional rice farming is a major climate problem. Flooded paddy fields release methane, a greenhouse gas 27 times more potent than carbon dioxide. But a Singapore-led project in Indonesia is testing a new way forward. By changing the way rice is planted and grown, researchers say emissions can be cut by up to half, without hurting farmers’ incomes. Arnold Gay speaks to CNA Senior Correspo...

Jensen Huang is one of the most influential men in the world right now - the CEO and face of Nvidia, the company powering the global AI boom. But beyond the black leather jacket and rockstar status is a deeply candid story about immigrant sacrifice, fear of failure and relentless ambition. In this special episode of the CNA Correspondent podcast, Genevieve Woo speaks to Senior Correspondent Victor...

In the 1960s and 70s, tens of thousands of South Koreans went to what was then known as West Germany as miners and nurses under a labour-for-loan deal. They were meant to stay for three years. Many never left. Genevieve Woo speaks to CNA Senior Correspondent Lim Yun Suk about the sacrifices behind South Korea’s rise - and the lives built between two countries. See omnystudio.com/listener for...

The Trump–Xi summit has just wrapped in China.   But beyond the handshakes and official statements, what really happened behind closed doors?  We break down the key moments, the surprises and the strategic stakes with insights from Beijing and Washington.  From trade and tech rivalry to the Taiwan question, the shadow of Iran and global energy tensions, we ask - who came in wi...

China has raced ahead in electric vehicle adoption, building vast charging networks, scaling production and reshaping how cars are bought and used. But across the rest of Asia, the shift is unfolding in far more uneven ways. From Mongolia’s hybrid-driving herders to Indonesia’s nickel boom and the Philippines’ copper reserves, the EV revolution is creating new opportunities along...

The Wang Fuk Court fire left 168 people dead and thousands displaced, making it one of Hong Kong’s deadliest disasters in decades. Months on, investigations are uncovering deeper failures, from alleged substandard materials to possible corruption in the tendering process. As the inquiry continues, Genevieve Woo speaks to CNA correspondent Deborah Wong to understand what went wrong. See omnys...

Japan’s tourism industry is back, with a record 10 million visitors in early 2026. But a major shift is underway: Chinese arrivals, once the backbone of Japan’s tourism boom, remain well below pre-pandemic levels. With visitor arrivals from South Korea, Southeast Asia, Europe and the US surging, can these new markets make up for the drop from China? And how are they reshaping the Japan...

When it comes to social media policing, governments are no longer waiting for tech companies to act - they’re stepping in. Australia has an under-16 social media ban, Indonesia is cracking down on non-compliant platforms and pressure is growing in India, as a new wave of regulation takes shape. But do these measures actually work? Or are the authorities always a step behind the tech giants a...

The war on Iran was expected to showcase military might, but it quickly turned into a battle over energy. With oil and gas flows disrupted, the crisis is rippling across the globe, hitting economies and households from Asia to the US. Why does the world remain so vulnerable to energy shocks? Could this accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels or deepen dependence? And how might the co...

Fans are rejoicing over the long-awaited return of boy band BTS. But beyond the spectacle, the ultra-famous K-pop group is expected to bring in billions of dollars to South Korea. Genevieve Woo speaks to Lim Yun Suk and Grace Shin about the Bangtan Boys' growing role at the intersection of culture, economics and global infl...

The conflict in Iran has pushed Iraq into a precarious position. Oil exports have been impacted and the country is caught in the middle of US-Israeli attacks on Iran-backed militia based in Iraq. Many of Iran's retaliatory attacks on US and coalition assets have taken place in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. Arnold Gay speaks to Olly Barrett in this episode to understand what the Kurds and Ir...

China is fast becoming a global leader in producing cutting-edge medicine, with nearly half of the world’s new drugs in testing now emerging from its labs. But can it replicate in pharmaceuticals what it has achieved in electric vehicles and robotics with faster and cheaper innovation? CNA Senior Correspondent Tan Yew Guan joins Otelli Edwards in this week’s episode of the CNA Correspo...

Taiwan’s long-standing debate over the death penalty has resurfaced after a landmark court ruling and the island's first execution in five years. In this week’s episode of the CNA Correspondent podcast, Genevieve Woo sits down with Senior Correspondent Victoria Jen to discuss her reporting on people caught in between, from victims’ families seeking justice to those who say the ri...

Amid rising global tensions and economic uncertainty, China’s biggest annual political event - the Two Sessions - has laid out the playbook for the world’s second-largest economy. From navigating the rise of AI to creating new jobs and enhancing childcare subsidies, domestic priorities took centre stage. What do these signals reveal about Beijing’s next moves? And why should the...

Once seen as unstoppable, northern China’s deserts are now being reclaimed by forests, sprawling solar farms and even tropical fruit plantations. While officials hail it as a triumph, how durable is this green transformation? Genevieve Woo sits down with correspondent Tan Si Hui to discuss the scale of China’s long-running anti-desertification drive, the people on the front lines and t...

In the longest State of the Union address in modern history, US President Donald Trump laid out his achievements and made the economy a key pillar of his speech. Over nearly two hours, Mr Trump also touched on immigration, national security and foreign policy as he aimed to put his Republican Party in a position of strength ahead of the November midterm election. But beyond the headline claim...

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party won a landslide victory in a long-awaited general election. Voters were promised a fresh start for democracy, jobs and the country's power structures. However, can the South Asian country move forward given some old, entrenched forces still hold sway? Genevieve Woo speaks with senior correspondent Afifah Ariffin on the CNA Correspondent podcast. See omnystudio.com/...

Thailand's recently concluded election delivered a decisive lead for Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai Party, setting the stage for intense coalition bargaining in the weeks ahead. With voters expressing fatigue and exasperation after years of political instability, will this new government be the change that Thailand seeks? Genevieve Woo speaks with CNA Correspondent Sak...

A snap election bet paid off in a very big way for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. She and her Liberal Democratic Party now hold a supermajority in the country’s Lower House. This gives them the power to override the opposition, push through legislation and even amend the Constitution. Ms Takaichi has made bold pledges on everything from industry and the economy to immigration and na...