Cambodia has for decades been aligning itself ever closer to China, with substantial economic and political consequences for the Southeast Asian nation – and with geopolitical implications for its neighborhood and beyond. China's economic influence in Cambodia has been huge, with large-scale Chinese investments and infrastructure projects fueling growth and development. Meanwhile, Cambodia's neighbors, Vietnam and Thailand, who also continue to benefit economically from ties to China, maintain a...
Aug 09, 2023•36 min•Season 2023Ep. 133
India faces a daunting task in providing adequate healthcare for its 1.4 billion people. While it can boast world-class hospitals and skilled medical staff, there remain stark disparities in healthcare access and quality, particularly in rural areas. Meanwhile, as India’s public healthcare system is criticized as antiquated and inefficient, the rapid growth of private providers has left millions unable to afford care and millions more financially ruined by medical bills. So, how are India's nati...
Jul 18, 2023•43 min•Season 2023Ep. 132
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's victory in Türkiye’s 2023 presidential election extends his two-decade reign by another 5 years yet raises important questions about the country's domestic politics. Despite his handling of a struggling economy and the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake, Erdoğan prevailed in a runoff election that highlighted deep political polarization. So what does Erdoğan’s staying power say about the state of democracy in Türkiye, where an entire generation has never known another ...
Jun 27, 2023•47 min•Season 2023Ep. 131
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. So how is the younger President Marcos, the son of a dictator, putting his own stamp on the country’s leadership an...
Jun 07, 2023•49 min•Season 2023Ep. 130
In May 2019, Taiwan broke barriers by legalizing same-sex marriage, becoming the first in Asia to do so. While the enormous efforts of activists — coupled with the progressive mindset of Taiwanese youth — were instrumental in achieving this milestone, what is it about Taiwan that has made it the regional forerunner when it comes to the rights of sexual minorities? What lessons can other societies in Asia learn from Taiwan's experience? And how are greater contentions around national identity in ...
May 22, 2023•56 min•Season 2023Ep. 129
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. So how have nations chosen to handle maritime border disagreements? What's worked and how much power do international maritime ...
May 08, 2023•56 min•Season 2023Ep. 128
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. So how great a threat to regional security is Afghanistan under the Taliban? How are relations across borders ...
Apr 23, 2023•46 min•Season 2023Ep. 127
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. What's behind the taboos o...
Mar 27, 2023•53 min•Season 2023Ep. 126
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. What are the causes of this flagging interest in stud...
Mar 13, 2023•43 min•Season 2023Ep. 125
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. Is all this recalibration just part of a push to juice a flagging economy? Has recent overt public discontent over a number of issues had an impact on the...
Feb 28, 2023•51 min•Season 2023Ep. 124
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. If the election outcome points to a ...
Feb 11, 2023•50 min•Season 2023Ep. 123
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. What are the stories behind the region’s longform folk songs, and how are they passed down? How do today's people in the region regard this cultural legacy, and what's being done to save the songs ...
Jan 29, 2023•47 min•Season 2023Ep. 122
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. Nearly three years later, how has this controversial law affected Hong Kong’s spirit and aspirations? And can the city keep its edge as Asia’s leading financi...
Jan 11, 2023•53 min•Season 2023Ep. 121
Although Indonesia's presidential elections take place in February 2024, it's already game on for the lineup of presidential hopefuls, and the nation's political machine is already in high gear. So who are the big names throwing their hats into the ring this time around? What will each bring to the table? And what messages will resonate with the diverse electorate? Indonesia watchers Professor Tim Lindsey and Dr Ian Wilson join presenter Ali Moore to dissect the race to the presidential palace. ...
Dec 15, 2022•56 min•Season 2022Ep. 120
Muslims in Indonesia are increasingly seeking to align their consumption with their religious beliefs. The push comes from a growing urban middle class who have greater access to global products and services. At the same time, Indonesia’s halal product assurance law, which came into effect in 2019, is being phased in across a wide range of goods and services. In a world awash with consumerism, what does halal certification mean for Muslims? And how do these economic choices play into the politic...
Nov 16, 2022•48 min•Season 2022Ep. 119
In August 2021, the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan after a 20-year hiatus and promptly replaced the nation’s legal system with their own austere version of Islamic law or Sharia. While the impact of the new government on women and girls has been well documented outside the country, the Taliban's interpretation of Sharia is making itself felt across Afghan society as the country is in the grip of possibly its worst ever humanitarian crisis. What is the theological basis of the Taliban's...
Oct 26, 2022•59 min•Season 2022Ep. 118
Sri Lanka recently found itself caught in a diplomatic tussle between China and India over the planned visit of Chinese naval vessel the Yuan Wang 5, to the port of Hambantota. India opposed the visit because it considers the vessel a spy ship, while China maintains that it’s just a research vessel. And that saga is but one example of how Sri Lanka must walk the line between Asia's two largest powers. How can Sri Lanka maintain a sense of balance in its bilateral relationships with the two Asian...
Oct 05, 2022•57 min•Season 2022Ep. 117
After the Taliban wrested power from Afghanistan’s democratically-elected government in August 2021, almost overnight, life for millions of Afghans changed radically and possibly irrevocably. Notably, the rights of women and girls to be educated and to participate in the workforce were stripped away. But the nation was also plunged into a terrible humanitarian crisis with more than a million severely malnourished children, massive unemployment, and runaway inflation. So what caused the sharp dec...
Sep 14, 2022•52 min•Season 2022Ep. 116
Since the 1950s but peaking in the 1980s, an estimated 200,000 South Korean babies and children have been adopted into mainly white families in western nations, leaving a trail of fractured identities. Why did the South Korean government allow so many of its children to be sent permanently abroad? What have been the fates of the adoptees, some now well into middle age? And how are some adoptees working to reconnect themselves to the land and culture of their birth? South Korea social scientists ...
Aug 29, 2022•59 min•Season 2022Ep. 115
Taiwan and Korea were colonised by Imperial Japan for much of the first half of the 20th century, and liberated only after Japan surrendered to allied forces in 1945. While North and South Korea continue to share a deep resentment towards Japan, Taiwan exhibits a more positive attitude towards their former coloniser. Why is there such a stark difference in attitude towards Japan, and what present-day political ends do the differing narratives serve? Korea historian Prof Kyung Moon Hwang and Asia...
Aug 09, 2022•53 min•Season 2022Ep. 114
While non-violence and detachment may be central to Buddhist teachings, there are growing accounts of human rights abuses – often along ethnic lines – in Buddhist-majority countries like Myanmar and Sri Lanka, often carried out in the name of Buddhism. So how does Buddhism intersect with political power? And how has Buddhism itself been changed by the demands and constraints of the modern nation-state? Southeast Asia historian Assoc Prof Patrick Jory and Asia cultural and environmental historian...
Jul 24, 2022•45 min•Season 2022Ep. 113
China’s meteoric economic rise over the last 40+ years has been accompanied by hundreds of millions of people leaving the countryside to seek opportunities in the nation's metropolises. Housing this immense influx has been and continues to be a challenge for authorities. So how is China meeting the challenges of providing a roof over the heads of 1.4 billion people? What’s the impact of the headline financial troubles plaguing the real estate development industry? Experts in China social policy ...
Jul 05, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 112
The recent change of government in Australia and a less strident tone in messaging from the Chinese leadership are being taken by some as a promising turn for fractured bilateral ties. But as Australia remains caught in the great power rivalry between the United States and China, what kind of relationship can we realistically expect between Canberra and Beijing going forward? How should Australia mend fences with its greatest trading partner? And how might China itself contribute to improving bi...
Jun 21, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 111
Protesters returned to the streets of Bangkok in late 2021 – after a hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions – with anger over curbs to civil and political rights as well as calls for reform of the Thai monarchy. In response, Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government has sought to quell the pro-democracy protests by restricting and monitoring internet use, and by ramping up enforcement of lèse-majesté laws. Analyst of Thai politics Dr. James Gomez joins presenter Jane Hutcheon to decipher the complex political...
Jun 05, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 110
Malaysia has witnessed a succession of prime ministers and political alliances over the past four years in what some observers say is the most serious era of political instability since independence in 1957. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s grand old party, UMNO, dealt an unprecedented defeat in 2018 following a global corruption scandal and mass protests, is now back in power – dashing the expectations of religious and ethnic minorities. What will it take for the political turmoil to end in Malaysia, once...
May 19, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 109
India has now on four occasions abstained from voting in the United Nations to censure Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. New Delhi’s muted response to Moscow’s military offensive may seem mystifying given India’s own experience of armed incursions by China, as well as its membership in the US-led Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (“the Quad”). So what binds India and Russia? How does India reckon with a world order largely created by western powers? And for how much longer can India sit on the ...
May 05, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 108
Having built a Shariah-compliant global finance industry now worth US$3 trillion, Islamic legal experts are now grappling with the question of whether cryptocurrencies are permissible for the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims. Just how are religious laws from the 7th century adapted to meet the present-day needs and economic aspirations of believers? How do Islamic jurists decide what is halal, and what happens when there’s disagreement? And how will cryptocurrencies and other emerging technologies fi...
Apr 21, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 107
Pachinko, the New York Times best-selling novel and now major TV series, shines a light on the history and plight of the Zainichi – ethnic Koreans long resident in Japan – and their struggle to make lives for themselves despite persistent discrimination and ethnic stereotyping. Zainichi researchers Drs Jon Glade, Cindi Textor and David Roh join presenter Ali Moore to explore the value of popular culture products such as Pachinko in illuminating the tangled strands of identity and ethnicity among...
Apr 06, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 106
For Japan, China is both its largest trading partner and its greatest strategic threat. And while Tokyo has garnered admiration for how it walks the line between its ally Washington and Beijing, it’s now set to draw up a new defence strategy with China likely top of mind. So what has the Xi Jinping era meant for bilateral ties? And how much of the shared history between China and Japan remains a factor today? Richard McGregor, veteran journalist on East Asia and Lowy Institute senior fellow, joi...
Mar 23, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 105
The South Korean mega-hit Squid Game is but one example of an ever growing pool of Asian video content riding the boom in streaming services to a global audience. And while translations are key to bridging the language divide, what are the factors that make for a good translation? Will fan-based translation and artificial intelligence make trained human translators redundant? Translation studies expert Assoc Prof Ester Leung and linguist Dr Sunyoung Oh discuss the art and business of translating...
Mar 03, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 104
