Josephine Ma

1 week ago | scmp.com | Josephine Ma

Ryan Hass is director of the John L. Thornton China Centre and the Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies at the Brookings Institution. He is also a senior fellow at the think tank’s Centre for Asia Policy Studies. He is a former diplomat with a focus on China and served as a key member of the National Security Council during the administration of former US president Barack Obama.

2 weeks ago | scmp.com | Josephine Ma

While the US has resumed processing of student and exchange visitor visas, the future of Chinese students who are attending Harvard remains uncertain. The resumption followed a federal judge’s decision last week to temporarily block a ban on Harvard’s qualification to enroll international students. The judge set a June 16 hearing for further arguments in the case.

2 weeks ago | scmp.com | Josephine Ma

A heart-wrenching suicide note left by an 18-year-old girl who killed herself in April has reignited discussion online about the heavy academic burden placed on children in China. In the letter, the girl – who was in her final year at a top high school in Bengbu, a city in the central province of Anhui – wrote about the pressure she felt to do well and said she had been broken by relentless exams, particularly maths and physics.

1 month ago | scmp.com | Josephine Ma

Most analysts would agree that the trade truce between Beijing and Washington is a temporary de-escalation of tension as fundamental factors, such as their economic and tech rivalries, remain much the same. However, the 90-day tariff pause is an important period for the two countries to prepare for strategic moves in the next stage, including speeding up the diversification of supply chains and markets to reduce the shock of potential tariff hikes once the truce ends.

2 months ago | scmp.com | Josephine Ma

One line in particular in a strongly worded speech by Xia Baolong, Beijing’s top official on Hong Kong affairs, drew widespread attention last week. The pre-recorded speech covered a wide range of issues and reiterated many of Beijing’s official lines about Hong Kong’s security. Xia also condemned the US tariffs on Hong Kong, claiming they were not just about trade but aimed at taking away the city’s life itself.