Inside China

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

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 William Zheng and Mai Jun unpack some of the event’s process and how it is expected to set the stage for Xi Jinping’s historic third term as leader and ascension to a level on par with Mao Zedong.

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 hydroelectric power. Post reporter Holly Chik speaks with fellow journalists Echo Xie and Siqi Ji about what they found on the farms and in the manufacturing centres, while veteran Shanghai-based sustainability expert Richard Brubaker unpacks the impact on global food prices and China’s approach to water,…

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 with her Beijing-based colleague Che Pan about why the 3-nanometre revolution in semiconductors is so vital and how China's semisconductor industry might compete. SCMP technology editor Zhou Xin analyses how Beijing sees the new law, and how the US push to form the Chip 4 coalition is a bid to…

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 reporter Pearl Liu unpacks the growing number of people across China with mortgages suspending payments on unfinished flats as more property developers slide into default, and how Beijing is trying to defuse a ticking timebomb of debt.

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 the Puxi district as residents look at the second month of lockdown and restrictions and increased anxiety over the potential of being taken away to quarantine facilities if any of their neighbours test positive for Covid. SCMP China desk news editor Josephine Ma reports on Beijing's reaction to the WHO…

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 district over food supplies, and the shocking videos evading social media censorship. Amanda Lee in Beijing and Siji Ji in Shenyan analyse the economic data and discuss the silencing and disappearance of a prominent Chinese economist who criticized Beijing's harsh zero Covid policies as concerns mount…

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 of April. In Beijing, Post reporters Luna Sun and Amanda Lee report from the locked down Chaoyan district on residents' anxieties and preparations. SCMP news desk editor Josephine Ma returns to answer the big question: why are there no mRNA vaccines despite a Shanghai company licensed to distribute…

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 demanding Covid deaths be acknowledged. Shanghai-based NYU economics professor Rodrigo Zeidan analyses the growing buildup of cargo ships outside Shanghai's port and what it means for global trade. Senior correspondent William Zheng looks at Xi Jinping's political challenges with Shanghai in the leadup to…

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 toothpaste and anger directed at local neighbourhood committees. Tracy Qu analyses China's food delivery companies responding to the food crisis while authorities seek to quell social media unrest. Shanghai-based sustainability expert Richard Brubaker analyses supply chain bottlenecks and when the West will…

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 west. Post reporter Holly Chik speaks with Shanghai bureau chief Daniel Ren from lockdown about how residents are coping, and to explore the economic impact on the finance and manufacturing base. Video journalist Thomas Yau is on the other side of the river, where there is panic buying and rising…

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;, William Zhang updates efforts from mainland China to send assistance and reports on people trying to flee across the border. Tara Joseph from AmChamHK talks about the ongoing exodus of expats; HK resident Vivian Lin shares her experience of being stranded in Melbourne, unable to return to the city.

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 hundreds, chief Asia correspondent Bhavan Jaipragas unpacks Singapore’s experience of “living with Covid-19”, and epidemiologist Dr Ben Cowling returns with a forecast for what happens next, and whether Hong Kong’s “dynamic zero-Covid” strategy can be resuscitated. Presented by Mimi Lau.

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 Omicron variant hits; Hong Kong Veterinary Association president Dr Owen Swan reveals the science and emotions behind the order to cull thousands of hamsters, SCMP journalists Chad Bray and Gigi Choy report on the exodus of Hong Kong's finance sector and the quest to track Hong Kong's omicron spread.

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 Chik unpacks the claim that Covid-19 is entering China by mail; Shanghai-based journalist Thomas Yau on what it's like to travel through China right now, and Bernice Chan details the massive changes to Hong Kong's famed restaurant industry amid a harsh 6pm lockdown policy. Get our Listening Post…

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 sector this year. They start with a record-smashing antitrust fine, then move on to explore how new regulations for gaming, after-school tutoring and data privacy impacted Chinese society as well as Wall Street.

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 boycott and other political actions over the decades, and analyses the impact of Joe Biden’s decision on the American public; Sophie Richardson, China director for Human Rights Watch, looks at past commercial boycotts and pressure on the Olympics and the IOC's ongoing role in the Peng Shuai story.

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 episodes of Inside China, but in this special feature he discusses the Omicron variant, the need for travel bans, the science behind 21 day quarantine, and delves into his experience of Hong Kong quarantine. Hear about air purifiers, "selfish masks" and his predictions for Hong Kong and mainland China in…

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, the new pandemic treaty agreed to at an historic World Health Assembly meeting, and hear about how China stands on the verge of a new policy on booster shots as well as the latest updates on advances and trials for monoclonal antibody treatments to treat Covid-19 infections.

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-dollar ultimatum from the WTA. Hear from exiled feminist activist Xiaowen Liang, information/economy expert Peter Lorentzen and senior SCMP staff on the battle for the narrative and how the WTA actions compare with the NBA and IOC. Subscribe to our podcast newsletter: sc.mp/Listening-Post-Newsletter

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 targets. Hear from energy, resources and transition expert Prakash Sharma and research analyst and battery storage specialist  Xu Le on how China is moving to a post-coal society in which everything is electric. Subscribe to our new podcast review newsletter: http://sc.mp/Listening-Post-Newsletter

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 previous historic resolutions issued by Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping? Does it grapple with historic errors, does it focus on contemporary problems, or is it all about facing the future? Hear how Hong Kong and Taiwan both received mentions and hear about the significant omissions.

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 in its economy and opened the way for renewable energy to compete against coal. Norway-based energy analyst Qin Yan contrasts the operation of China's new national emissions trading market with that of Europe, how changes in China's energy market are a tectonic change for its economy. China energy…

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 Facebook as well as China’s major tech giants, game developers and investors are all focused on a change some believe will be as big as the arrival of the World Wide Web itself. Hear from Bloomberg Intelligence senior analyst Mark Kanterman on the investments he's documenting and just what the metaverse…

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, a massive expansion of solar and wind power projects and China’s first official national parks. Meanwhile, as floods in Shanxi province shut coal mines, reporter Siqi Ji discusses the ongoing power crisis in China’s northeastern ‘rust belt’ amid concerns and growing anger as the cold winter looms.

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, comprising supply, price and regulation of coal-powered electricity. SCMP China desk reporter Holly Chik speaks with political economy journalist Cissy Zhou about how long this power crisis is expected to last, how a ban on Australian coal complicates things and the prospects for the global economy.

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 China and what questions remain after Meng and two Canadians were freed; tech desk editor Zhou Xin discusses Huawei’s changing fortunes and how Beijing managed nationalist sentiment around the company exec’s homecoming.

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 year that lead to protests across China. Desk editor Zhou Xin explores how Evergrande is part of China’s economic success story, Beijing’s changing “red lines” and how the capitalist excess of its "Belt Brother” CEO contrasts with Xi Jinping’s “Common Prosperity”.

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 the West, how it affects the multi-billion dollar games development industry, and what will come of China's huge esports ecosystem and the desire to become the world's dominant esports nation. Hear the gaming addiction podcast: spoti.fi/3nvMirb

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 deadline for a report into the 'Wuhan lab leak theory' arrives; Cissy Zhou discusses the internal and global economic shockwaves from China's zero Covid strategy and the pushback from those who say China needs to live with the virus; Josephine Ma discusses new MRNA vaccine developments in mainland…

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. Beijing-based reporter Coco Feng reports on experiences of parents and teachers as they learned courses were essentially outlawed, while Cissy Zhou explains the motivations of the crackdown, the rise of the middle-class ji wa parent in mainland China and implications of a potential underground system…

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 safekeeping. Eighty-five years later, it has been the source of global debate over whether it’s a new species related to humans. Dr Ni Xijun, leading paleoanthropologist of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, helps unravel the mystery of China’s ‘Dragon Man’. Written and produced by Jasmine Tse. Read more: https:/…

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 discusses the emergency spreadshett that became a a huge crowd-sourced resource, and how China's huge short video audience are using TikTok style platforms for emergency aid and assistance,

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.

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 the impact on foreign investment; Post tech desk editor Zhou Xin looks at why the Cyberspace Administration of China has labelled American chipmaker Micron a “national security risk”.

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 Delaney looks at the Wang Yi-Jake Sullivan meeting as the US mends relations without raising balloon incidents; and Shi Jiangtao on Beijing's response to the G7 meeting and how it views Japan's increasingly hawkish call for Europe to focus on the Taiwan Strait.

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 Feng explain the lag of China’s tech companies as they try to catch up, while the first wave of AI-related job losses begin.

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 gas on for days; the man who had his girlfriend's name added to his mother's tombstone, only to have her demand it be removed two years later; the grieving brother and sister who find out their dead mother left them millions, made even more distraught by the brother's wife demanding her fair share, and…

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 discusses the numbers and has a look at an island hoping to surpass Hong Kong as a free trade and travel destination, while the Post’s Oscar Liu and Harvey Kong look at new trends and behaviours seen among the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visited Hong Kong over the past week.

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 developing a GPS system for the moon and 3D printing bricks for the first lunar base, its hopes for beating the US in a race to get soil samples from Mars and its plans for a survey of Jupiter’s moon Callisto.

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 “cognitive warfare”. In Hong Kong, a stock brokerage with thousands of millennial and Gen Z investors prepares to launch a ChatGPT-powered investment assistant. And hear from nuclear weapons and China tech expert Dr Amy J Nelson on chances for a global AI arms treaty.

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 industry. China technology and AI expert Matt Sheehan from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace compares the approach of China, the US and Europe in regulating AI and the prospects for superpower co-operation.

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, as well as the split among Hong Kong universities on whether to allow students to use ChatGPT. Hear from a secondary teacher on how ChatGPT and other AI applications are changing the way he teaches, how his students are using it to enhance their learning and his concerns for unregulated development…

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 in Belarus. The Post’s Europe correspondent Finbarr Bermingham analyses the EU response as well as why European leaders are making plans to visit Beijing. Diplomacy expert Shi Jiangtao explains why Kishida’s diplomacy with Ukraine, South Korea and India is being seen as a game changer for Xi’s plans…

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/people-culture

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 data portends for the plans put forward at the Two Sessions. Senior journalist William Zheng analyses the speeches of Xi Jinping and newly ascended premier Li Qiang.

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 of films with Asian mothers and their daughters as central characters. And Hong Kong-born Hollywood veteran George Cheung talks about the barriers he’s confronted as an Asian actor in 50 years of films and tv, and why this year’s Academy Awards represent substantial progress for Asian actors.

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 Foreign Minister Qin Gang in his first media briefing, also commented on US rivalry, Ukraine and Taiwan. North American bureau chief Rob Delaney analyses the US response, its ongoing legislative agenda for Taiwan and the impending visit of its leader Tsai Ing-wen.

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 changes as well as indications about how Beijing will change its approach to internal security, the administration of Hong Kong and how it will use the gatherings to send signals to China’s people as well as to the world.

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. Hear Beijing diplomacy expert Shi Jiangtao and Europe correspondent Finbarr Bermingham analyse the optics of top diplomat Wang Yi’s meeting this week with President Putin, how Beijing’s relationship with Moscow has changed, and how European nations have changed their perspective on China over the…

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 AI chatbot technology. Post technology reporter Xinmei Shen speaks with fellow tech journalists Coco Feng and Ben Jiang in Beijing about this new AI tech gold rush, how China’s censorship system will have an impact, and why operating in Chinese language is a much more complicated task for AI. Alibaba…

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 deadly octopus in your hotpot or floor cleaning liquid in your fruit juice? Luisa Tam talks Kevin Kwong through some of the stories that got the biggest audience for the SCMP People and Society desk. Hear about the controversial court case over lai see and why gay couples are in the spotlight for the year…

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 the Hong Kong Developmental Paediatrics and Child Neurology Centre, discusses how masks, home-schooling and staying indoors have affected toddlers, children and teenagers at a neurological level, and how parents can help them rebuild as they return to schools and socialising.

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 restaurant industry, news desk editor Denise Tsang analyses the economic impact and loss of reputation as an aviation and finance hub; City desk reporter Jeffie Lam analyses the complexity of Hong Kong's vaccine anxiety and how it contributed to fatalities suffered in the Omicron wave of 2022.

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 discusses the massive online community known as the Hong Kong Quarantine Support group, Jamie Gong reveals how a post about his elderly mother started "the greatest thread of the pandemic" and the Twitter-based journalist known as Tripperhead, explains why he decided to parse and post the daily data dumps and…

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 restrictions, and how the lessons of SARS point once again to how Hong Kong needs to prepare for the future. Video journalist Thomas Yau reflects on his reporting from Wuhan in 2020, 2021 and 2023, his experiences on the streets of Shanghai, how 60+ days of lockdown changed him, and what changes he sees in his…

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 ahead for people born in the Year of the Rabbit as well as the food served at annual reunion meals, who gets red envelopes filled with money, why people wear red underwear, how to greet your Chinese neighbours in Mandarin or Cantonese and much more. More on Year of the Rabbit: https://sc.mp/l8az

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 on China's Generation Z and Millenials, who must care for ageing parents while confronting the reality of choosing between careers and starting families amid soaring costs of education and housing as well as a slowing economy.

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 Hong Kong experience and forecasts how this surge will play out over the Lunar New Year holiday; Thomas Yau reports from Shanghai on the healthcare crisis; Xinlu Liang reports on the new black market in Paxlovid-style drugs and renewed misinformation on Chinese social media about treatments and the XBB…

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 owners and analyses the economic costs revealed by the harsh policies; epidemiologist Dr Ben Cowling looks at the efficacy of Chinese vaccines, the numbers of unvaccinated elderly and forecasts what lies ahead for mainland China in comparison to Hong Kong's experience earlier this year; senior…

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-Covid policy restrictions and a shift in narrative as days of mass protests across the country have called for an end to President Xi Jinping’s signature Covid strategy.

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 World Cup TV broadcasts from Qatar bring home to the public the reality of people ‘living with the virus’ elsewhere in the world.

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 supplier Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant and the nationalist blogger who publicly criticised Beijing’s zero-Covid strategy. News editor Josephine Ma on the paradox of Beijing permitting the Pfizer vaccine for foreign residents only, 22 months after the jabs were widely available in Hong Kong, and the quandary…

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 President Xi Jinping to a historic third term. Hear about the implications for China’s foreign and domestic policy, and also how for the first time in decades no woman has been selected for the Politburo.