The China Current with James Chau

Chinese scientists recently flooded two islands in southern China’s Guangdong province with hundreds of millions of mosquitoes... and then successfully cleared them all out. It was part of a massive experiment by a research team at Sun Yat-sen University to determine if the world can eliminate deadly mosquito-borne diseases -- including malaria, dengue and Zika -- that kill one million people every year. James Chau looks at this fascinating story. 

Shanghai needs very little introduction – but there’s so much to say. This city of over 26 million people is one of the most dynamic in the world: its cosmopolitan past is on display with the historical architecture along the Bund, while its innovative future is underpinned by the skyscrapers that stand on former farmlands in the financial center of Pudong. James Chau takes you inside "the city that belongs to everyone". 

Once known for manufacturing cheap toys and textiles, China is increasingly known for developing innovative technology that's transforming the world and how we interact. But what triggered this change, and what opportunities does this innovation provide for everyone? With a growing pool of engineers, massive investment in infrastructure, and an expanding network of suppliers, China is positioned at a fascinating global crossroads. James Chau dives into the story. 

Huawei is one of the world's leading technology brands. It is introducing 5G to international markets, reshaping mobile communications, and transforming the way we interact with one another. But as the company expands, and becomes a topic of conversation in political and trade discussions, many people are asking ‘who’ is Huawei and how will its innovations impact the world? We go inside its new nine-hectare R&D campus in southern China to take a closer look.

Three Chinese telecoms have been awarded 5G licenses, that could see the fifth generation of mobile communications roll-out to consumers as early as 2020. It will usher in an entirely new digital era of high speed and low latency, that will enable us to live and work ‘smart’ – and at a time when 55 per cent of the world's population lives in cities. 

Bai Bin, an extreme runner from Guizhou in China, has just completed an epic 433-day journey running from the South Pole to the North Pole. Despite the snow, storms and seas, he refused to give up and successfully finished his 14-month expedition in the Arctic. This is a story of incredible athleticism – and finding hope even when hope appears to be lost.

Charles Stevens, a college student at the University of St Andrews, traveled along the Silk Road last year - the ancient route that has fascinated traders and travelers for centuries. Today, though, it has transformed into a modern journey full of opportunity and innovation that is charting a model for the global future. I sat down with Charles in Hong Kong, 60+ days after he left his home in London to begin his journey. It's an incredible real-life tale of adventure, business and infrastructure - but mostly, people.

Professor Ilona Kickbusch is one of the world's foremost thinkers and visionaries on global health.

A key architect of the 1986 Ottawa Charter, one of the most vital international agreements on health promotion, her innovative work has transformed the world and our most vulnerable communities in particular. Currently at Geneva’s Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Ilona has had a distinguished career, including at the World Health Organization and Yale University.

She has also helped train many of today’s health leaders in China. In this interview, James Chau brings her back to her early years in India, and how being the child of a German diplomat helped shape her career and the influence she continues to exercise.  

In just a few days, Katja Iversen, President & CEO of Women Deliver, will host the world's largest conference on gender equality in Vancouver, Canada, featuring heads of state among 9,000 delegates from 170 countries. James Chau speaks with Katja as she looks back at her life and the experiences that shaped her conviction to lead her movement for equality. She discusses what it will require to create a world that is fairer, and why she thinks China is so far down The Global Gender Gap Report.

As the 72nd World Health Assembly convenes in Geneva this week, Part 2 of the conversation with Professor Sharon Lewin reminds us just how important global cooperation on health is. For over 20 years, Professor Lewin has been on the cusp of 'discovery' - the discovery of an elusive AIDS cure, and in the process, the discovery of how we can all live safer and healthier lives. In an era when SARS, Ebola, Zika and various strains of avian influenza have become a norm, she references her work on one of the greatest epidemics in history - HIV and AIDS - to help us anticipate the next great global health emergency, and how we can prepare ourselves. This interview with James Chau was recorded in July 2018 at the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam.