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Asia Specific

Asia Pacific - unpacked by those who know it best. Bringing you essential insights and conversations on the stories shaping the region.

World Service,17 episodes

Episodes

ListGrid

Which Asian country has the world's best passport and why?
What does a strong passport say about how a country practices diplomacy?
10 Jan 2026,20 mins
How do journalists cover a disputed election in Myanmar?
Myanmar’s military is holding a stage-managed election, but will it change anything?
07 Jan 2026,21 mins
Inside South Korea's K-beauty obsession
Behind Korea's booming skincare trend, a society grapples with intense beauty standards
03 Jan 2026,20 mins
Why many in Taiwan dismiss China’s threat to blockade and invade their island
China claims its latest military drills show the goal of taking Taiwan is getting closer
31 Dec 2025,17 mins
The paradise island nation caught between the US, Taiwan and China
Why Palau’s Taiwan ties make it a key player in US-China rivalry
27 Dec 2025,18 mins
Food, flags and feuds: Why Asians fight over cuisine
Why Asian neighbours clash over food, identity and who gets to tell the story
24 Dec 2025,25 mins
Can Prabowo Subianto finally unleash Indonesia’s potential?
A year into his free food programme, are the Indonesian president's plans on track?
20 Dec 2025,20 mins
Jimmy Lai verdict: From Hong Kong activist to national security criminal
What the conviction of the ageing tycoon Jimmy Lai says about how Beijing rules Hong Kong
17 Dec 2025,26 mins
Bonus: Bondi shooting tests Australia’s social cohesion
Australia grapples with grief, gun laws and social cohesion after Bondi Beach shooting
15 Dec 2025,11 mins
Science and solutions to prevent a repeat of South East Asia’s huge floods
What made flooding in Indonesia and South East Asia so deadly and how to prevent a repeat
13 Dec 2025,21 mins
Special episode: Thailand-Cambodia peace shattered
President Trump seeks to intervene as Thailand and Cambodia conflict reignites
11 Dec 2025,14 mins
Trump: the man who made Asia reimagine the US
Has an American leader who cut aid and imposed tariffs shifted US ties with Asia forever?
10 Dec 2025,20 mins
Is banning children from social media smart or excessive?
Asia considers Australia-style under-16 social media ban - is it the right move?
06 Dec 2025,19 mins
China tries to control anger over the Hong Kong fire
Hong Kong mourns 150 killed in one of its worst fires in decades as anger grows
03 Dec 2025,14 mins
Asia’s soft power battle: Has the Korean Wave peaked?
How did South Korea become Asia's soft power juggernaut and can China or Japan catch up?
29 Nov 2025,17 mins
The Japan-China feud: Why has it reignited?
A Taiwan comment has sparked the deepest diplomatic clash in more than a decade
26 Nov 2025,19 mins
Introducing Asia Specific
Asia Pacific, unpacked by those who know it best
18 Nov 2025,4 mins