Good for NYC, Bad for Beijing

Filmmaker Zhu Rikun is homeless. Not literally, but in a philosophical way. “I still continue my job as a filmmaker,” he says. “I just feel homeless. I don’t feel any home anywhere, in China or the United States.” Good for NYC, bad for Beijing: Beijing Indy film festival opening this month in NYC. @AngShah reports, […]

US Ends Trade Privileges to Bangladesh Following Garment Factory Disasters

President Barack Obama announced Thursday that the US will end trade privileges with Bangladesh over concerns for safety and working conditions in factories. The US will suspend Bangladesh from the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which will increase tariffs on certain goods. The move, in response to recent garment factory disasters, will not directly affect the garment […]

How has the web changed coverage of Asia?

Next week in San Diego, I’ll be on a “late breaking” news panel at the Association for Asian Studies’ annual conference. I’ve started to think about how to explain the many ways that connectivity — social media, VOIP, chat clients — have really colored how I think about news and story telling about the region. From telling […]

Reddit Users Debate the Pricing Game Of The Cancer Drug Industry

When the Indian pharmaceutical company Cipla announced last month that it would cut the cost of three drugs used to treat cancers – one used for lung cancer and two for breast cancer – people around the world responded. Some of the most lengthy conversations took place on the news commenting site Reddit, including a […]

Human rights in Sri Lanka take center stage at the United Nations

Sri Lanka has captured attention recently for a deteriorating situation around human rights. International Crisis Group researcher Alan Keenan explains why the Human Rights Council review is so important, and why the world should care. Read more about the current situation in Sri Lanka and my Q&A with Keenan at Public Radio International.

Publication Day for Chinese Characters

Today is publication day for Chinese Characters! The first shipments via Amazon have reached readers and the book is now easily available to anyone. We’ve got a lot going on, including East (New York City) and West (Los Angeles) Coast book launches and talks and seminars in China, Boston, Philadelphia and around Southern California. Please do […]

Ordinary Chinese in extraordinary times

Eye on China interview with Angilee Shah (11:58) From Radio Taiwan International on August 30, 2012: How are ordinary Chinese dealing with the dramatic changes in their country? That’s what the new book Chinese Characters: Profiles of Fast-Changing Lives in a Fast-Changing Land unveils. Tune into Eye on China as Natalie Tso talks with the […]