Asian Insider

SPH Media
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Politics
  • Updated Weekly

Synopsis: Every Friday, get our distinct take on global issues with an Asian perspective, with ST’s globally-based correspondents. Produced and edited by: Fa'izah Sani Executive producer: Ernest Luis A podcast by The Straits Times, SPH Media.

  1. What can be done about the explosion of disinformation?

    5d ago

    What can be done about the explosion of disinformation?

    The menace is everywhere and you can hardly spot it, stop it or punish it. Synopsis: Every third Friday of the month, The Straits Times gets its US Bureau Chief to analyse the hottest political and trending talking points. Singapore recently ordered social media platforms to block access to 14 online posts that target the Indian community, such as by suggesting that Singapore was being overrun by Indians. Investigations showed that the content most likely originated from a platform based in China and was subsequently carried on other platforms and websites, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement on June 6. In this episode, US Bureau Chief Bhagyashree Garekar chats with a US-based expert who has studied disinformation, defined as organised and systematic efforts to manipulate people and to transmit false narratives. Darrell West of the Brookings Institution has carried out extensive research on how technologies such as generative AI can be used to create serious threats to personal safety, race relations and governance.  He is a senior fellow at the Center for Technology Innovation within the Governance Studies programme. He is the co-author of Lies That Kill: A Citizen’s Guide to Disinformation. It explains how falsehoods spread and what citizens, institutions, and policymakers can do to resist them.  His bottom line? Only you can protect yourself from disinformation. Highlights (click/tap above):  1:03 Disinformation is more than misinformation 4:12 Where is all the disinformation coming from? 5:08 How Iran beat the US in information war 8:10 Does the US use disinformation as well? 10:12 Who’s at the top of the disinfo game? 13:30 Do disinfo producers ever pay a price? 19:04 Disinformation will get worse ahead of US elections 20:41 Only you can protect you 24:32 Are Gen Z better at detecting fakes? More articles on:  Singapore blocks online posts targeting Indian community; content likely from China-based platform: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/spore-blocks-online-posts-targeting-indian-community-content-likely-from-china-based-platform Behind the anti-Indian posts: How social media pages mix divisive narratives with clickbait: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/behind-the-anti-indian-posts-how-social-media-pages-mix-divisive-narratives-with-clickbait Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s articles: https://str.sg/whNo  Bhagyashree Garekar’s LinkedIn: https://str.sg/gD6E  Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz  Host: Bhagyashree Garekar (bhagya@sph.com.sg)  Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani Executive producer: Ernest Luis Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7  Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8  Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX --- #STAsianInsider See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    27 min
  2. Why Beijing now sets the agenda for US-China ties

    Jun 12

    Why Beijing now sets the agenda for US-China ties

    Can Trump and Xi’s new ‘constructive’ framework bring stability to the US-China dynamic? Synopsis: The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 45 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests. In this episode, host Ravi Velloor speaks with Wang Xiangwei, the eminent Hongkong-based China scholar and former editor-in-chief of South China Morning Post. Wang, who is soon heading to the Harvard Kennedy School of Government as a Senior Visiting Fellow, offers a Chinese perspective on the changing dynamics of the US-China relationship, with Beijing now treated as a near-peer by Washington, and increasingly able to set the agenda. US President Donald Trump, he says, is the most China-friendly person in his Cabinet and the days when even Chinese garlic was treated as a national security risk are long over.  In an odd way, China does not wish to see the US retrench from Asia entirely. Highlights (click/tap above): 1:26 How things have changed in US-China ties  5:20 ‘G-2’ is in place now, and China a peer equal 8:55 Goodbye, Indo-Pacific  13:20 Up ahead, long period of stability 16:17 For the first time, China sets the agenda 20:36 Boards of trade, investment 26:22 Surprise, Surprise…China wants US to stay in Asia! Read Ravi's columns: https://str.sg/3xRP Follow Ravi on X: https://twitter.com/RaviVelloor Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz  Host: Ravi Velloor (velloor@sph.com.sg) Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani Executive producer: Ernest Luis Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7  Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8  Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX --- #STAsianInsider See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    31 min
  3. Why eldest daughters carry so much weight: An Asian perspective

    Jun 4

    Why eldest daughters carry so much weight: An Asian perspective

    Being uber-responsible, people-pleasing and a perfectionist are traits that first-born girls in Asia purportedly have.Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times catches up with its foreign correspondents about life and trends in the countries they're based in. A book in Taiwan on the so-called “eldest daughter syndrome” is now a bestseller translated into other languages.  It looks at how many first-born women in the East Asian society struggle with perfectionism, people-pleasing, burnout, anxiety and other mental health struggles. This often arises from the profound psychological and physical pressures that they face at home. What is even more insidious is when these traits carry over from the private space to their workplace.  Taiwan correspondent Yip Wai Yee, herself a first-born girl, speaks to foreign editor Li Xueying, another first-born girl, on her personal experience, as well as the question: where is all of this coming from?Highlights (click/tap above): 1:58 What is the eldest daughter syndrome 4:43 Myth vs social expectations 6:29 Eldest daughter syndrome entrenched in Taiwan society 10:17 How it plays into workplace burnout and boundaries 13:55 Managing guilt and saying no as an eldest daughter Read Yip Wai Yee’s article here: https://str.sg/jbsK  Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR  Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x   Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz  Host: Li Xueying (xueying@sph.com.sg) Edited by: Fa’izah Sani Executive producer: Ernest Luis Follow Asian Insider on Fridays here: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg  --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts  The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa  --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX  --- #STAsianInsider See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    15 min
  4. Deals and words: Reading the tea leaves for the Xi-Trump summit

    May 21

    Deals and words: Reading the tea leaves for the Xi-Trump summit

    Twists and turns can be expected for the rest of this year. Synopsis: Every fourth Friday of the month, The Straits Times will now analyse the hottest political and trending talking points, alternating between its Malaysia and Greater China bureaus. For May, host and deputy foreign editor Albert Wai teams up again with senior China correspondent Yew Lun Tian. Their focus is on the Xi-Trump summit held in Beijing from May 13-14, 2026.  Heading into the event, expectations were modest as US President Donald Trump appeared to be distracted by war in the Middle East. At first glance, the deliverables might have seemed slightly underwhelming.  But the bottom line is both men got a bit of what they needed. Mr Trump got purchases for Boeing jets, agricultural products and possibly energy, while Chinese President Xi Jinping articulated a “new positioning” of bilateral relations. There are also implications for cross-strait ties, with Beijing framing the Taiwan issue as something to be treated with utmost caution while Washington signalled that it might be rethinking the latest tranche of arms sales to the island. With many geopolitical issues on the agenda, the tariff war appeared to have taken a back seat. Nonetheless, the announcement on the boards on trade and investment has opened up additional and much-needed room for dialogue. There are at least three more bouts of engagement between Mr Trump and Mr Xi for the rest of this year, and plenty of opportunities for both sides to bargain and make deals. Highlights (click/tap above):  2:34 The world can breathe a sigh of relief 5:14 What is “constructive strategic stability”? 9:09 Temple of Heaven, Imperial Garden: Visit steeped in symbolism 10:43 A captivated Chinese public 13:11 Taiwan should be worried 19:20 Trade tensions take a back seat 21:16 China hugs the US and Russia Read more: https://str.sg/pyWN  Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters  Host: Albert Wai (albertw@sph.com.sg)  Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani Executive producer: Ernest Luis Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7  Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8  Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX  Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg  --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts  The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa  --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX  --- #STAsianInsider See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    27 min
  5. No big, fat hugs: Trump, Xi will have a summit of careful smiles

    May 12

    No big, fat hugs: Trump, Xi will have a summit of careful smiles

    A banquet in Beijing does not alter US-China rivalry but both leaders could sell modest outcomes as wins, says analyst. Synopsis: Every third Friday of the month, The Straits Times gets its US Bureau Chief to analyse the hottest political and trending talking points. In this episode, US Bureau Chief Bhagyashree Garekar chats with Han Shen Lin, the China Managing Director for The Asia Group, a strategic advisory firm based in Washington DC. Mr Lin leads the firm’s China operations from its Shanghai office.  Concurrently, as an Associate Professor of Practice in Finance at NYU Shanghai, he teaches courses in global finance and markets.  Mr Lin also serves as Chair of the Financial Services Committee at the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. He is a US Marine Corps veteran (Indo-Pacific) and Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Ukraine).  Highlights (click/tap above):  1:31 Is the summit happening for sure? 3:12 China could get Tehran's attention on a ceasefire, but will they?  5:39 Why has Trump been so keen to go to China? 7:28 What might be President Xi's top asks?  9:18 Will they talk about AI?  11:24 Trump often trolls foreign leaders but treats Xi respectfully. What does Beijing make of this?  13:54 Will this summit improve ties? Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s articles: https://str.sg/whNo  Bhagyashree Garekar’s LinkedIn: https://str.sg/gD6E  Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz  Host: Bhagyashree Garekar (bhagya@sph.com.sg)  Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani Executive producer: Ernest Luis Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7  Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8  Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX --- #STAsianInsider See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    18 min
  6. What cues India can take from China to fix its foul air and water

    May 7

    What cues India can take from China to fix its foul air and water

    India’s poor air is driving much needed investment away from the country.  Synopsis: The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 45 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests. There was a time when China was thought to have the world’s most polluted cities. However, Beijing’s sustained efforts have overturned that situation. Instead, when the question of polluted cities comes up, eyes turn to India now. According to the noted Harvard economist Gita Gopinath, a former top IMF official, poor air quality is driving investment away from India and is causing more damage to its economy than US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.  There is enough policy experience, and scientific knowledge, to mitigate the situation. Indeed, India has within itself some of the world’s best scientific brains. The question is whether it has the political will to take the right measures, including pricing essential services such as water appropriately to curb overuse and wastage. In this wide-ranging conversation, host Ravi Velloor speaks with Chandran Nair, the Malaysian-born, founder and CEO of Hongkong-based Global Institute for Tomorrow on how India could take cues from China to fix its foul air and water. Mr Nair, a biochemical engineer who in 1994, set up the first foreign environment consultancy in China. He is also a frequent traveller to China and India. He is also a sceptic of the consumption-based growth model that he says is causing irreparable damage to the environment.  Highlights (click/tap above) 3:42 China’s journey from ‘most polluted’ nation 10:52 India’s dismal environmental situation 14:26 Faulty growth models 17:37 Democratic non-dividend: India cannot do a China 22:42 Why utilities like water need to be priced right Read Ravi's columns: https://str.sg/3xRP Follow Ravi on X: https://twitter.com/RaviVelloor Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz  Host: Ravi Velloor (velloor@sph.com.sg) Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani Executive producer: Ernest Luis Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7  Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8  Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX --- #STAsianInsider See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    30 min
  7. The mystery of Chongqing grilled fish’s origin story - and why it matters

    Apr 30

    The mystery of Chongqing grilled fish’s origin story - and why it matters

    The stakes are high. A region’s association with a popular dish is increasingly big business, as the Chinese eat out more. Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times catches up with its foreign correspondents about life and trends in the countries they're based in. Disputes over where popular dishes originated are common across Asia. The world-famous butter chicken is fought over by two restaurants - one that started out in Peshawar, now in Pakistan, and one in New Delhi, India. In Southeast Asia, neighbours Singapore and Malaysia have also tussled over chicken rice. It is little wonder that China, given its geographic scale and the incredible richness of its regional cuisines, has its own internal food feuds.  Kaoyu, or grilled fish, is a regional speciality of Chongqing, made with freshwater fish from the Yangtze River and spices such as mala peppercorns and Chinese chillies. The dish’s commercial success, both inside and outside of China, has raised questions about its true origin story, with two regions in Chongqing, Wanzhou and Wushan, laying claim to it. In this episode, host Li Xueying asks Chongqing-based correspondent Aw Cheng Wei to share his journey in tracking down where kaoyu came from, and to get to the heart of why food is so important to the Chinese.  Highlights (click/tap above): 1:23 How Chongqing’s cuisine reflects its local environment and culture 4:39 Popularity of the kaoyu dish across China 5:59 Beginning of the dispute over the dish’s origin 8:46 Government efforts to preserve authenticity through industry standards and culinary schools 10:31 The complexities of culinary origin disputes across China and beyond 13:40 China’s attitude towards food 15:42 Food’s power to connect and what it means for China Read Aw Cheng Wei’s article here: https://str.sg/6y3x   Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR  Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x   Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz  Host: Li Xueying (xueying@sph.com.sg) Edited by: Fa’izah Sani Executive producer: Ernest Luis Follow Asian Insider on Fridays here: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg  --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts  The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa  --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX --- #STAsianInsider See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    19 min
  8. 'Corporate mafia’: The scandal that Malaysia can no longer ignore

    Apr 23

    'Corporate mafia’: The scandal that Malaysia can no longer ignore

    From drink-driving to MACC scandal, is Malaysia's justice system bending to public pressure or finally getting serious? Synopsis: Every fourth Friday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the hottest political and trending talking points, alternating between its Malaysia and China bureaus. For our April episode, ST's Malaysia bureau chief Shannon Teoh and host Zurairi A.R. are joined by Latheefa Koya, executive director of Lawyers for Liberty and former chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). Highlights (click/tap above): 3:10 Spate of fatal drink-driving crashes sparking a national debate: Why did one Klang case change everything? 5:44 Does this mask a deeper racial and class divide in Malaysian society? 8:26 Is a murder charge for drink-driving legally sound – or is the Attorney General bowing to public pressure? 12:57 Malaysia's road safety debate: Does the Islamic "diyat" mechanism have any place? 14:17 How can an anti-corruption body be weaponised as corporate mafia – and what powers make that possible? 20:41 MACC parading suspects in orange shirts: Does the humiliation tactic actually achieve anything? 25:15 Is PM Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's expected non-renewal of MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki a genuine reckoning – or just the bare minimum? 35:11 News nugget opinion: What 'energy-wasting' habit our guests absolutely refuse to give up, no matter what the authorities say? Read more: Malaysians are again up in arms over drink-driving, but this time it's for a different reason: https://str.sg/e3Gz  Why Malaysia PM Anwar's invoking a 'Zionist bogeyman' and a plot to topple the government: https://str.sg/rSwE  What fuel crisis? Why Malaysians are losing patience with their leaders' mileage: https://str.sg/H4H3  Read Zurairi A.R.’s articles: https://str.sg/DCfr  Read Shannon Teoh's articles: https://str.sg/wzyK  Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz  Host: Zurairi A.R. (zurairi@sph.com.sg)   Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani Executive producer: Ernest Luis Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7  Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8  Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX  Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts   Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg  --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts  The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa  --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX  --- #STAsianInsider See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    40 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Synopsis: Every Friday, get our distinct take on global issues with an Asian perspective, with ST’s globally-based correspondents. Produced and edited by: Fa'izah Sani Executive producer: Ernest Luis A podcast by The Straits Times, SPH Media.

Information

  • Creator
    SPH Media
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    563
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Straits Times
  • Show Website
    Asian Insider

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