Asia Matters Podcast

Last week, Taiwan re-elected its president, Tsai Ing-wen（蔡英文）, by a landslide. Her campaign focused heavily on what she claims is 'the rising threat from Beijing'. Since the election she has said that China needs to 'face reality' and show Taiwan 'respect'. This, and the sheer scale of her victory, might well suggest that cross-strait relations are about to enter a renewed rocky period. But is it quite that simple? Joining us this week to put these fresh election results into context is George Yin of Swarthmore College in Philadelphia and Harvard Fairbank Centre for Chinese Studies. George is part of a team that recently undertook a large-scale survey delving into Taiwanese attitudes toward identity, politics and cross-strait relations. As ever, get in touch if you have any comments at feedback@asiamatterspod.com. You can also follow us on Twitter: @AsiaMattersPod.

The U.S.-China trade war is going through another bout of excitement as the two sides reach an interim deal. But why are world’s two biggest economies at loggerheads, and is this a battle that’s set to run and run?This week, Andrew and Vincent are delving into the ups and downs of this dramatic trade war. They are joined by Lingling Wei who has consistently been ahead of the game in her reporting on the trade war for The Wall Street Journal in Beijing, and Trinh Nguyen, a Senior Economist, Emerging Asia at Natixis in Hong Kong.As ever, get in touch if you have any comments at feedback@asiamatterspod.com. You can also follow us on Twitter: @AsiaMattersPod

A bumper episode this week for a hugely important topic - the tech industry in Asia.  Yale's Jing Tsu joins Andrew to discuss the history behind China's drive to become a global technological power. And then Julian Gewirtz of Harvard and Newley Purnell of the Wall Street Journal take a broader look at the tech scene across the region (specially featuring the horns of Delhi's Ola drivers in the background). As ever, get in touch if you have any comments at feedback@asiamatterspod.com. You can also follow us on Twitter: @AsiaMattersPod

It's been called one of the world's biggest financial heists. When the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB was set up in 2009, its purpose was supposedly to develop the country's infrastructure and economy. Instead, the US Department of Justice alleges that $4.5 billion dollars was stolen from it.This week on Asia Matters, Andrew Peaple is joined by Tom Wright, co-author of 'Billion Dollar Whale', the story of the scandal and specifically the fugitive financier at its heart, Jho Low. Mr Low has released a statement saying that the book "is written with allegations disguised as fact and gossip passed off as legitimate reporting. The narrative is framed to allow the authors to write about celebrities, and models and parties, without ever proving any of the allegations." Mr Low's whereabouts are unknown, and he continues to evade the authorities - most recently reports claimed he had been sighted in India.  The fallout from 1MDB continues elsewhere too - this week the former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is expected to go on trial again for his alleged role in it. Like Mr Low, he denies all wrongdoing. Asia Matters is a new podcast that aims to look beyond the headlines on Asia. Please get in touch at feedback@asiamatterspod.com for comments, suggestions and critiques. You can also follow us on Twitter: @AsiaMattersPod.

The leaders of South Korea and Japan recently held talks for the first time in over a year; their aim, to resolve a long-running trade dispute. Taking this other trade war as their starting point, our experts look at relations between East Asia's two biggest democracies. At a time when US commitment to the region seems less of a given than in the past, and China's ascendancy continues, how is this friction affecting the regional power balance? What are the challenges and opportunities ahead, particularly when it comes to Japan's grand strategy? In our inaugural episode, we are joined by Sheila Smith of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, and Richard McGregor of the Lowy Institute in Sydney.Asia Matters is a new podcast that aims to look beyond the headlines on Asia. Please get in touch at feedback@asiamatterspod.com for comments, suggestions and critiques.