‘Decolonising’ Hong Kong by Embracing Colonialism

Since Hong Kong’s National Security Law came into force in July 2020, a number of high-profile cases have been brought under it against leading political dissidents. These include the pending trial against human rights lawyer Chow Hang-tung, Albert Ho and others for their leadership roles in a group that has long organised annual vigils in … more

Stepping Stone for Migrants? The Reality of Chinese Food Delivery Apps in Australia

Located in the heart of Sydney’s inner west, Burwood Chinatown has branded itself as a modern Asian food paradise that provides the ‘best authentic Asian street food’.[1] Unlike its counterpart in Sydney’s CBD—which centres on a pedestrian laneway that begins and ends with two 50-year-old red ceremonial gates—the younger, vibrant Burwood Chinatown is a two-level … more

How AI Changed the Way We Work

The following translation is based on an episode from the popular Chinese-language podcast StoryFM 故事FM. With a subscriber base of over two million, the podcast, hosted by Kou Aizhe 寇爱哲, is celebrated for inviting Chinese people from different regions and backgrounds to tell their own story, in their own voice. The editors Kou Aizhe: Late … more

China—The New No.2 Space Power

On 4 October 1957, the USSR launched Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite, and with it the Space Age itself. In February 2023, China’s National Museum put on a grand exhibition marking thirty years since the start of the Chinese human space program.[1] The environment in space is very different from that of Earth. The … more

Chinese ‘Incels’? Misogynist Men on Chinese Social Media

In 2020, Yang Li 杨笠, a Chinese female stand-up comedian, rose to national fame with punchlines addressing China’s gender inequality and biting jokes about Chinese men, most famously: ‘How can some men look so ordinary yet be so confident?’ While her piercing humour resonated with many Chinese women, it was not so well received by … more

The Belt and Road’s Midlife Crisis: Perspectives from Latin America and the Caribbean

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) turned 10 in 2023. Assessing its progress to date is challenging, given the persistent lack of consensus on its true nature. Few global initiatives evoke such disparate perceptions. To some, the BRI epitomises the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) audacious foray into twenty-first-century grand strategy, a bold vision for … more

China’s Macroeconomy in 2023

China’s economy experienced a bumpy journey in 2023, with fluctuations in each quarter. In the first quarter, GDP growth reached 4.5 percent, exceeding market expectations and marking a strong start to an economic recovery following the three-year COVID-19 prevention and control policy regime. In the second quarter, it grew by 6.3 percent, which, considering the … more