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...

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....

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 hally...

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...

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 C...

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 st...

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 Jame...

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...

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 nar...

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 governmen...

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 fr...

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 o...

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 w...

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 ha...

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 w...