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.

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. 🐅

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.

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.

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 diplomatic relationship before Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits Beijing for a meeting with China's President Xi Jinping later this year.

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.