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.    

Inside China

Xi Jinping, Kunming COP15 and China’s escalating power crisis

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.

China’s coal crisis: how to balance supply, demand and a changing climate

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.

Meng Wanzhou and the two Michaels: what’s next for Huawei, Canada and China?

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”. 

Evergrande debt crisis: China’s ‘Lehman moment’ vs Xi’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

China's online gaming ban: the players, the parents and an industry reset

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…

Beyond the Wuhan lab leak theory, Beijing vs zero covid, new MRNA vaccines and a China/US partnership

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…

Beijing smashes China’s multibillion-dollar after-school tutoring industry

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:/…

China's 'Dragon Man': does the fossil change the human evolution story?

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,

Reporting from flood-ravaged Henan; short videos & crowd-sourced spreadsheets to the rescue

Mimi Lau reports on the developing flood disaster in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou following record-smashing rains which have pushed the Yellow River to extreme heights, threatening nearby dams. Hear first-hand accounts of people trapped in subway trains as flood waters filled the tunnels, and analysis from Beijing-based reporter Echo Xie on how these floods differ from last year's floods on the Yangtze River.

Flood crisis in China's crossroads megacity: disaster in Zhengzhou

Following the crackdown on ride-hailing firm Didi, China’s cybersecurity police have turned up the heat on other mainland tech firms with US IPO plans, by ordering data security reviews of Chinese firms with over a million users if they want to list on Wall Street. SCMP tech reporter Xinmei Shen is joined by colleagues Zhou Xin and Tracy Qu to discuss the growing role of Chinese regulators in reining in not only mainland tech firms but also the live-streaming industry.

China's cybersecurity police widen clampdown on big tech IPOs and livestreaming

Days after China's biggest ride-hailing app Didi launched a multibillion-dollar IPO on Wall Street, Beijing's internet watchdog removed it from China's app stores, claiming data being collected was a national security risk. SCMP tech reporter Xinmei Shen is joined by fellow reporter Tracy Qu and tech desk editor John Artman to analyse what’s behind the move, the Tesla-Microsoft connection, and whether this signals the start of decoupling between the world’s two biggest economies.

Why Beijing put the brakes on Didi in China following its US IPO

How did one factory in Taiwan become the sole reason why new cars, iPhones, gaming consoles and consumer whitegoods are facing delays in production? SCMP tech editors John Artman and Zhou Xin pull apart the circumstances that created this global supply chain crisis, how the US tech war and the pandemic created this situation and analyse what China is doing to become self-sufficient in chip manufacture. Can it catch up - or will it simply invade and take over production?

Taiwan and the semiconductor crisis: how will China and the US respond?

Mimi Lau presents a deep-dive into China's expansion plans for its new space station, its new Hubble-style telescope and its invitation for (most) nations to collaborate, as well as its timeline to develop a base on the moon in conjunction with Russia. Hear from space industry journalist Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) and Hong Kong University space program head Professor Quentin Parker on China's ambitious plans for space travel and research. More on Hong Kong's space lab: www.lsr.hku.hk/

Building China‘s new space station, Beijing’s moon base plans and its growing space industry

In this week’s Inside China, Xinmei Shen presents a deep dive into the new operating system Huawei has unveiled for phones, tablets and devices. SCMP tech editor John Artman analyses how the tech war that began under the Trump administration helped fuel the drive to develop a system to compete in an environment dominated by Android and Apple. We also look at the strategy behind the pivot for China's largest telecoms company, why no other Chinese firms supports it and why the Internet of Things…

Huawei’s new Harmony operating system: can it beat the Android-Apple duopoly?

Want to learn more about China first-hand, from the reporters on the ground? Each quarter we take a deep-dive into a specific topic, mixing independent reportage and exclusive interviews to bring you unique insights. Our current six-part series is Behind the Tarrifs: The human stories of the US-China trade war. Brought to you by the South China Morning Post.

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