Asian Insider

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 SaniExecutive producer: Ernest LuisA podcast by The Straits Times, SPH Media.

Asian Insider is a news podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 571 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Asian Insider, a news show with 571 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #85

  S2E85: Taiwan is a society comfortable with contradictions

  Sep 3, 202622 minS2

  Taiwan correspondent Yip Wai Yee reflects on her four-year journey in this special farewell episode. 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. After four years of reporting from the frontlines, Taiwan correspondent Yip Wai Yee is hanging up her media pass to embark on a new chapter. In this special farewell episode, host Li Xueying sits down with Wai Yee for one final, reflective look back at the island she called home for the past four years. They discuss the stark paradox of high-tech industries coexisting with deep-rooted tradition, and the everyday resilience of people living with geopolitical uncertainty. Wai Yee shares the stories that defined her tenure in Taiwan, and what she will miss most. Highlights (click/tap above): 1:08 Why it’s time to say goodbye: Wai Yee’s next chapter 3:56 Taiwan’s high-tech prowess meets deep-rooted tradition 6:16 How locals cope with geopolitical pressure 10:50 Taiwan’s mangoes becoming hot property in Europe 16:29 Navigating cross-strait families and shifting identities 20:17 What Wai Yee will miss most about Taiwan Read Yip Wai Yee’s articles here:  https://str.sg/wFZk   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 Podcast on Fridays here: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7   Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8   Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX   YouTube: https://str.sg/rF3qR   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 --- 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.

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  Episode #84

  S2E84: DAP remains, but should Anwar stay the same?

  Aug 27, 202648 minS2

  With DAP committed to the unity government, can Anwar Ibrahim reform his coalition before the next general election? 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 August episode, ST's Malaysia bureau chief Shannon Teoh and host Zurairi A.R. are joined by Dr Ong Kian Ming, a former deputy minister and adjunct professor at Taylor’s University.  Highlights (click/tap above): 5:20 DAP members vote to stay in government: Is it the right choice? 8:40 Is the DAP grassroots divided over call to stay in government? 17:40 What is the ideal situation for DAP? Is it time to return to the opposition?  19:50 Should Anwar Ibrahim step back to allow Pakatan Harapan to rebuild for 16th general election? 24:40 Anwar’s strategy: Tactical survival or a genuine long-term plan? 31:00 Are Anwar’s advisers listening? Here’s what we have to say to them 37:10 Side note: Formula 1 is back in Sepang, but what sporting events do we want Malaysia to host? Read more: Malaysia’s DAP votes to stay in government, easing pressure on PM Anwar after state polls setbacks: https://str.sg/3Tr5u Malaysia keeps voting for change. Is Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan running out of time to deliver?: https://str.sg/mUbA F1 race in Malaysia: Country eyes a rise in tourists, increased business for small traders: https://str.sg/xboz   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   YouTube: https://str.sg/rF3qR   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 --- 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.

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  Episode #83

  S2E83: Trade, tech, geopolitics: A rising China tide isn’t lifting all boats

  Aug 13, 202640 minS2

  What more should we know now about this country that is central to the global economy and is playing an ever greater role in geopolitics? Synopsis: Every second Friday of the month, The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 45 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests. In this first-ever joint episode of Asian Insider and Radio Davos, he is joined by the World Economic Forum’s Robin Pomeroy as they speak with Qian Liu, whose Wusawa Advisory helps companies understand China.  It was recorded in late June at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 in Dalian, China. Ravi and Robin discuss with Qian about how a Chinese economy built on innovation and scale is impacting the world, the mainland’s internal worry lines such as high youth unemployment and lagging consumption, and why female power could drive China’s next growth phase. Highlights (click/tap above) 4:00 Exports, joblessness, property in a slowing economy 9:00 China’s property market prospects 11:10 ‘Ageing concubine’ Europe ‘cooking up’ negativity 15:00 EVs, cognac and bubble tea 19:40 You don’t need to get fat on Chinese ice-cream 23:10 ‘Involution’ and its imperatives 25:00 Shrugging off Hormuz 27:00 China’s watching US destroy itself 33:00 Female power in China More at wef.ch/amnc26 and across social media using the hashtag #AMNC26 Produced and edited by Radio Davos: Editing - Seamus Hart, Louie Carroll Studio production: Gareth Nolan --- 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 ) Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7   Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8   Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX YouTube: https://str.sg/rF3qR 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 --- 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 --- Discover more Radio Davos podcasts: From 'US innovates, China imitates' to 'Opportunity 2.0' - lessons from Summer Davos:  https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/strategic-intelligence-amnc26-debrief-china-innovation/ The Hormuz shock, AI and China: the state of global energy, with Jason Bordoff:  https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/amnc26-energy-china-hormuz-oil-gas-renewables-bordoff/ AMNC26: What just happened at the Summer Davos?:  https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/amnc26-what-just-happened-summer-davos/ All podcasts: wef.ch/podcasts : YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader:  https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues:  https://pod.link/1574956552 --- #STAsianInsider See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  Episode #83

  S2E83: Why Japan’s elderly keep going back to prison

  Aug 6, 202623 minS2

  Japan's aging crisis has turned prisons into an unlikely safety net for lonely seniors. 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. Japan's prisons are increasingly housing a growing number of elderly inmates, many of whom are repeat offenders convicted of minor crimes. Why would anyone choose prison over freedom? In this episode, host Li Xueying speaks with Japan correspondent Walter Sim as he takes the audience inside Tochigi Prison, Japan's largest women's correctional facility, where an unexpected trend is raising difficult questions about the country's rapidly ageing society. Some elderly women are repeatedly committing minor offences, but the reasons behind their actions may not be what you expect. Their stories reveal deeper challenges facing Japan, from loneliness and shrinking family support networks to rising care costs and an ageing population. What happens when prison becomes part of a country's social safety net? Highlights (click/tap above): 0:42 Japan's demographic challenges and prison population trends 2:23 Social dynamics within Tochigi’s prison 4:18 The paradox of prisons feeling like nursing homes 8:12 Broken social safety nets and the rise of "kodokushi" 10:31 The structural gaps in healthcare and caregivers 12:43 Japan's policy reforms towards rehabilitation 15:10 Implications of declining crime rates and prison closures Read Walter Sim’s article here: https://str.sg/kfTG   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: Natasha Liew 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   Asian Insider YouTube: https://str.sg/rF3qR   --- 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.

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  Episode #81

  S2E81: In China, AI is ‘everything, everywhere’. Is there a dark side?

  Jul 23, 202637 minS2

  From running marathons to being personalised chefs, robots are redefining life in the future. 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 July, host and deputy foreign editor Albert Wai teams up with ST’s senior China correspondents Yew Lun Tian and Daryl Loo. Their focus is on China’s AI and robots and what they mean for jobs, IPOs and the US-China rivalry.  On the ground, Lun Tian notes that AI has become “everything, everywhere, all at once.” Everyday innovations now range from driverless robotaxis and near-unmanned factories to AI-generated microdramas. Such tech advancements have translated into a can-do spirit for China.  The government has framed China’s open-source AI models as a driver of equitable global development—offering Beijing a chance to demonstrate leadership and responsible AI governance. However, skeptics argue against expanding China’s influence in setting global standards. Domestically, it has also sparked a massive capital surge in the form of IPOs. And talent is in such short supply that Chinese companies now have to look overseas.   While the overall picture is a positive one, there is an underbelly in the form of social inequalities, need for regulation as well as ethical issues. There are also implications for US-China ties. AI has become yet another topic that shows how difficult it is for both sides to come together. Yet, dialogue is urgently needed for both Beijing and Washington to identify low-hanging fruits and establish basic guardrails. What do the podcasters hope to see in future? Albert and Daryl wish for a robot that can analyse, wash and fold their laundry, while Lun Tian would like a “master shifu” to answer her burning questions.  Highlights (click/tap above):  7:43 AI is “everything, everywhere all at once” 10:13 President Xi lays out China’s vision 13:48 Scramble for public listings 17:25 Preparing students to thrive 22:36 Is AI missing out on women’s talent? 24:54 AI competition could be the new nuclear arms race 31:36 More harm than good? Read more: https://str.sg/4pqfj 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.

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