Chat Lounge

From being ridiculed to being touted as posing the greatest risks to Europe’s carmakers, what have China’s electric vehicle makers experienced in the past decade? Are China-made EVs still synonym with low-end cheap products? And will Chinese EV makers become the next target of Western encirclement as their influence grows?

Host Tu Yun joins Andy Mok, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, William Lee, Chief Economist at the U.S.-based Milken Institute, and Minhua Shao, Chair Professor and Director of the Energy Institute, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology on this episode of Chat Lounge to find out the answer and more.

China’s gearing up for a fight against online abuse in the wake of a series of high-profile deaths caused by cyberbullying. Why is bullying becoming more rampant in the virtual world? Who’s more likely to fall victim to online violence? What needs to be done to create a bullying free world?

Host Tu Yun joins Edward Lehman, founder and managing director of China-based law firm Lehman, Lee & Xu, David Moser, Associate Professor of Beijing Capital Normal University, and Mike Bastin, China observer and Senior Lecturer at the University of Southampton in the UK on this episode of Chat Lounge to find out the answer and more.

Humanity has declared war against plastic waste, introducing various bans on single-use plastic products. But the result seems to be barely satisfactory. What’s the reason behind this? As the UN Environment Programme renews the campaign to eradicate plastic pollution, what’s the key to achieving victory in this battle?

Host Tu Yun joins Changhua Wu, Executive Director of the Professional Association for China's Environment, Katalin Sogor, Co-founder, Trash Running, Edward Lehman, founder and managing director of China-based law firm Lehman, Lee & Xu, and Mike Bastin, China observer and Senior Lecturer at the University of Southampton in the UK on this episode of Chat Lounge to find out the answer and more.

China’s business environment is once again under the spotlight. As a revised law against espionage is about to take effect in July, some people are concerned that risks have increased for foreign business people traveling to China. What’s the real situation on the ground? Do foreigners have to change their plans on doing business in China?

Host Tu Yun joins Edward Lehman, founder and Managing Director of China-based law firm Lehman, Lee & Xu, Dr. Liu Baocheng, Director of the Center for International Business Ethics, University of International Business and Economics, and Josef Mahoney, Professor of Politics and International Relations, East China Normal University to decode the myth surrounding the revised law on this episode of Chat Lounge to find out the answers and more.

In this episode of our special series My Expat Life in Rural China, host Tu Yun sits down with Brian Linden from the United States and Ian Hamlinton from South Africa for a chat about their lives in China’s villages, where they've helped renovate ancient folk buildings and witnessed the development and reconstruction of the country's rural areas.

As college graduates are being called upon to join the efforts in revitalizing rural China, Linden and Hamlinton also give advice on starting a business in the countryside.

China’s launching pilot projects in about 20 cities to build a new-era marriage and childbearing culture in its fresh bid to boost falling birth rates. Is the younger generation’s low fertility desire solely related to economic burdens? What’s the key to building a pro-marriage and pro-fertility culture? How can technology play a role in this regard? And what’s the outlook of such projects?

Host Tu Yun joins Dr. Liu Baocheng, Director of the Center for International Business Ethics at University of International Business and Economics, David Moser, Associate Professor of Beijing Capital Normal University, and colleague Gao Yingshi on this episode of Chat Lounge to find out the answer and more.

Chinese style postpartum care has become increasingly appealing to Western women in recent years. As many countries celebrate Mother’s Day this Sunday, we look at how Chinese postpartum confinement, a tradition of over two thousand years, differs from postpartum care in the West, and why the Chinese style has been winning growing interest. There is also advice from professional obstetrician and traditional Chinese medicine expert as well as a new mom for moms-to-be or those who have just given birth.

Host Tu Yun joins Wang Lepeng, Associate Professor at the Chinese Medicine Culture Center, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Dr. Ninni Ji Xiaoqiong, Chair of Obstetrics & Gynecology, United Family Healthcare, Shanghai, and colleague Niuniu Niu Honglin, co-host of the Roundtable show on this episode of Chat Lounge.

China has experienced a consumption boom over the May Day holiday, with tourist attractions, hotels, restaurants and shopping malls embracing record high numbers of visitors. While business operators are thrilled that the pent-up demand is finally released, some observers are more concerned about how long the consumption momentum can continue.

Host Tu Yun joins Dr. Liu Baocheng, Director of the Center for International Business Ethics at University of International Business and Economics, Dr. Digby James Wren, Senior Special Advisor and Director of the Mekong Research Center at the International Relations Institute Royal Academy of Cambodia, and Dr. Haiyan Song, Mr and Mrs Chan Chak Fu Professor in International Tourism, Associate Dean and Chair Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic University on this episode of Chat Lounge to find out the answer and more.

The United Nations said earlier this week that India will become the world's most populous country by the end of April, hitting almost 1.43 billion people and eclipsing China.

Economists and demographers often talk about a "demographic dividend." It means a one-time window, spanning a few decades during which the number of working-age people in a certain country is far bigger than that of young and elderly dependents. This has the potential to boost economic growth.

What does having the world's biggest population mean for the Indian people? What opportunities and challenges does it pose for India's policy makers? Will India be able to seize its "demographic dividend"? Host Liu Kun is joined by Prasoon Sharma, a Pentland Scholar from New York University and University College London; Han Hua, President, Beijing Belt and Road Cooperative Community; and Prof. Qu Qiang, Research Fellow of Global Issues at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Authorities around the globe are drafting rules to govern generative chatbots shortly after ChatGPT became a global sensation. While some people are thrilled by the convenience the tools can offer, some are concerned that humanity is a step closer to self-destruction. What are the pros and cons of chatbots? What should be the most urgent task for regulators? Is chatbot more an opportunity or a threat?

Host Tu Yun joins Andy Mok, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for China and Globalization; Cheng Minhao, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Yu Yang, Assistant Professor, Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences, Tsinghua University on this episode of Chat Lounge to find out the answers.