Ear to Asia

In 2020, Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong after months of mass protests, resulting in the prosecution and conviction of many activists and journalists. China introduced the law despite their 1997 agreement with the outgoing British colonial administration to allow the territory its own system of governance for 50 years...

The Yangtze, Asia's longest river, flows through China's wealthiest region, the lower delta, which includes the metropolis of Shanghai. Sadly, the unique traditional cultures and epic folk songs of this region have all but succumbed to the relentless march of modernization and cultural homogenisation...

In Taiwan, the victory in Taipei's 2022 mayoral election of Chiang Wan-an, the Kuomintang (KMT) candidate and purported great grandson of former strongman Chiang Kai Shek, has sparked debate about the future of the island's relationship with China. While the KMT has adopted a more conciliatory stance towards the Chinese Communist Party, its one-time arch adversary, Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) advocates for a separate Taiwanese identity...

China's government has made significant policy shifts in recent months, including lifting the zero-covid policy, loosening credit regulations for real estate development, and a less strident tone in international relations. These changes suggest a sense of reversal or climbdown, despite the absence of official admissions of any policy failing...

There's no question that Australia is tightly bound to Asia. Indonesia is a close neighbor, China is its most important trading partner, and India and Japan are its strategic partners. While prioritizing Asia-focused education would thus seem essential for Australia, recent trends indicate a decline in Asian language and studies programs in Australian universities, risking leaving the country ill-prepared to navigate its future in the region...

In Malaysia, the 3 “R”s — race, religion, and royalty — are considered politically sensitive topics, and despite constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech, the state has passed laws that restrict their discussion, both online and off. While these curbs have the potential to stifle critical discussion and maintain existing power structures, they’ve had little effect on subduing ultra-nationalist voices, resulting in an increase in hate speech and online harassment...

Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the harboring of extremist or terrorist groups, continued high numbers of displaced Afghans, and ramped up production of opium for export are key concerns for neighboring nations. Iran, Pakistan, China, India and other countries each have their own interests to protect and opportunities to exploit just across the border...

While China asserts its right to some 90% of the South China Sea, its claims variously overlap and conflict with those of Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and the Philippines -- themselves no strangers to past maritime disputes. In fact, countries across the Indo-Pacific have had to find ways of resolving or at least learning to live with disputed maritime borders...

In May 2019, Taiwan broke barriers by legalizing same-sex marriage, becoming the first in Asia to do so...

As Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr begins his second year as president of the Philippines, how is his administration impacting the lives of ordinary Filipinos? The controversial term of Marcos’ immediate predecessor Rodrigo Duterte was marked by a brutal war on drugs that led to widespread extrajudicial killings as well as attacks on activists, media and dissenting judicial figures...