Asia Specific

How have US tariffs changed the way countries in Asia trade and what has been the impact on the region?

US President Donald Trump announced a slew of tariffs in April last year on more than 90 countries. For a while, it threatened to damage global trade and grind business investments to a halt. Then, earlier this year, the US Supreme Court struck down most of the tariffs the White House announced in 2025, arguing that the president ...

US President Donald Trump says he believes China helped push Iran towards the two-week ceasefire. With Pakistan leading talks between Iran and the US, what role is China, Pakistan’s close friend and neighbour, playing behind the scenes? What will this conditional ceasefire mean for Asia’s energy shortage? And does a two-week truce mean Southeast Asian countries, grappling with high oil and gas prices, can expect things to return to...

The US Artemis II mission around the Moon is part of a plan to establish a long-term human presence beyond Earth. But it’s not alone. China has been steadily advancing its space programme, with plans to land its own astronauts on the moon by 2030 and develop a permanent lunar base in the years that follow.

More than half a century after the Apollo missions, the focus has shifted from symbolic firsts to sustained presence and strateg...

When the Samsung chairman has a heart attack, his heir is pushed into the spotlight. The complex manoeuvring to secure his succession re-opens old family wounds, prompts one of the biggest scandals in South Korea’s history, and – eventually – helps to bring down a president.

Everyone’s heard of Samsung: more than a billion people have one of their smartphones. This is the drama behind the tech giant that changed the world.

From a fru...

The right-wing populist One Nation has a breakthrough with voters. Pauline Hanson’s party recently secured more than 20 per cent of the vote in a South Australia state election - its first major breakthrough outside her home state of Queensland. It’s also the strongest showing by a minor party in a system long dominated by two political heavyweights: Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party of Australia.

What does this mean for ...

BTS is as much of a cultural phenomenon as they are a K-pop band, but after four years off, can they rekindle the magic that made them a music and economic juggernaut? In the years before they went on hiatus for military service, BTS helped propel K-pop to the forefront of international music charts, and they became global cultural ambassadors.

Their comeback concert in central Seoul was described by some in South Korea’s media as ...

Why has the Iran war left the region’s oil supply so exposed? Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and China are all bringing in different measures to try and control the situation - from making government employees work from home, to restricting fuel exports, to a four-day week.

Around a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped through the Strait of Hormuz - a narrow strip of water along the southern coast of Iran. Much of that ends up in...

Will North Korea and China rethink their weapons programme after the US-Israeli attacks on Iran?

Pyongyang has come under pressure from the US in recent years over its nuclear stance and China, experts believe, is expanding its arsenal.

The US and Israel’s attacks on Iran are partly aimed at destroying Tehran’s nuclear weapons capability. We discuss what could be the potential impact on future nuclear strategy in the Asia region. H...

The superpowers of US and China are taking starkly different directions on cryptocurrency trading. So, what is behind this and what does it mean for the future of crypto?

The US under President Donald Trump positions itself as a pro-crypto hub to foster innovation. China under President Xi Jinping has imposed a strict ban on domestic trading and mining of digital currency since 2019. Because of that crackdown, China now controls sig...

China’s growth is slowing as the US-Israel war with Iran jolts the world economy and oil prices spike.

Once seen as the growth engine of Asia and the world, China is now trying to shield its giant economy from external shocks, this year setting its lowest economic growth target in more than three decades.

Can China’s leaders build a more self-reliant economy? And is it still on track to overtake the United States?

Host Mariko Oi is ...

Creators of Japan’s popular manga comics see both threat and opportunity in AI. Some think it can help with labour shortages and boost productivity, but many artists and publishers fear copyright infringement, falling incomes and the devaluation of human artistry.

Major publishers have taken a firm stance against AI-generated submissions. AI can generate anime-style characters in seconds.

In this episode of Asia Specific, host Marik...

China has warned against the ‘law of the jungle’ after US-Israeli strikes on Iran, but will Iran's biggest oil buyer take any tangible measures?

The conflict in the Middle East is widening, with missile and drone strikes hitting Iran, Israel and neighbouring countries, and Washington is now warning its campaign could continue for weeks. China is often viewed as Tehran’s key international backer. It buys the majority of Iran’s crude ...

Same-sex romance dramas are booming across Asia, but does that mean there’s growing tolerance towards LGBTQ communities? What began as a niche genre in Japan has become a regional phenomenon, with countries like Thailand producing hugely popular series that travel far beyond Asia. Streaming platforms and shows like The Boyfriend and Heated Rivalry have helped bring these stories to global audiences. But the rise of the “Boys’ Love”...

The Vice-President of the Philippines Sara Duterte has announced she will run for the Presidency, more than two years out from the next election. While long expected that she would seek the top job, why is she announcing her bid so early? Is a bitter feud with the current President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jnr a factor?

Four years ago she joined forces with Marcos and the pair won the Presidency and Vice-Presidency in a landslide. ...

Singapore has launched a crackdown on vapes, eight years after banning the product, moving in lockstep with several countries around the world in clamping down on e-cigarettes.

The campaign comes as a rising number of teenagers in the country are found to have been using k-pods - vapes that are laced with the drug etomidate, an anaesthetic agent used in hospitals. The new penalties include fines, mandatory rehab, and caning for sup...

Yoon Suk Yeol - former South Korean president - is sentenced to life in prison but avoids the death penalty, in an insurrection case that has gripped the nation. He was found guilty of leading an insurrection linked to his brief declaration of martial law in December 2024.

Prosecutors called it an attempt to subvert the constitutional order by deploying troops around parliament and targeting political opponents.

In this bonus episod...

Chinese workers officially get nine days off for this Lunar New Year – the longest stretch of public holiday on record. But, as millions move around the country in the annual travel rush, they’ve found there’s a catch. Some of those days must be made up by working weekends. Many workers are guaranteed just five days of paid annual leave, far fewer than in other major economies. And the work culture has sparked debate around burnout...

Bodyweight influences in Asia - from fashion to K-pop to social media. We examine perceptions around thinness and why Asia didn’t follow the body positivity movement championed in Western countries.

The pressure to be thin shapes how many young people in Asia see their bodies, with extreme diets amplified on social media.

Host Mariko Oi is joined by Rachel Lee from the Asia Specific team and chef and food writer Jenny Dorsey. They di...

Voters in Thailand stick with the conservative Bhumjaithai Party, in a shock national election result. But why did Thais reject the opposition movement, after polls showed an appetite for change?

The elected leaders – seen as part of the political establishment – now have the challenge of rebuilding Thailand’s struggling economy. A former fast-growing Southeast Asian powerhouse, Thailand now faces economic woes, falling birthrate an...