Tiananmen Square 30 years on: 'The history has not been stilled'

June 4 marks the 30th anniversary of the crackdown at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. What is the relevance today of the events that took place there in 1989? We put the question to three New Zealand-based China experts…

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Sejong City: The story of South Korea's back-up capital

They built it, but did anyone come? In 2012, key government agencies in South Korea began to move from the capital city of Seoul to a new city 120km to the south. Rebecca Townsend reports on the ambitious Sejong City project. 

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Shinzo Abe or Abe Shinzo? A basic guide to using Asian names

Japan's foreign minister has called out overseas media for not referring to the prime minister in the correct style. So when should you use someone's family name first? The Asia Media Centre looks at naming conventions in Asia.

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What has media in New Zealand been reporting about Asia? Here's a roundup of stories from the past week. 

• Auckland Indians celebrate Modi election victory
  RADIO NZ
     
• Peters named 'old naughty' by Chinese-language media
  NEWSROOM
   
• Rethinking tourism to cater to independent Chinese tourists 
  STUFF
   
• Kiwi companies come together to cash in on China's largest online marketplace
  1 NEWS 
   
• Tip-toeing around the US China trade standoff
  RADIO NZ

• Kiwi academic has part in remeasuring height of Mt Everest 
  OTAGO DAILY TIMES 
    
• Malaysia has started sending plastic waste back to developed countries
  STUFF

Hongzhi Gao, Victoria University

Get to know Hongzhi Gao, Associate Professor in the School of Marketing and International Business at Victoria University of Wellington and a senior research fellow at the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre.

What are you working on right now?

I am currently working on a research project that evaluates the economic impact of the US-China trade war on third-party countries, including New Zealand, and explores response strategies of firms globally to the trade war.

Tell us the most interesting thing that’s not on your CV:

I always enjoy proposing my thoughts on current international business issues, and contributing to the live debate on these topics through media interviews or my own writings. Discussing these topics on social media is fun and rewarding. Of course, not everyone agrees with what I say but I love the opportunity to exchange ideas in a rational and respectful way – we all learn from each other!

What’s your favourite book about Asia?

My school colleague recently lent me a book, titled The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom: America and China, 1776 to the Present, by John Pomfret. I love this book. It captures some interesting and revealing narratives about the love-hate relationship between China and the United States throughout history.

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China: Facial recognition technology now works on pandas

The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan has unveiled a new "giant panda facial recognition" app. Visitors to the panda base can use the app to scan the bears' faces and get information about each unique animal.

World: Customers wary as Google blocks Huawei

Retailers are dealing with the fallout from Google's announcement that it has blocked Chinese tech giant Huawei from using Android apps on its devices. Some customers have rushed to trade in their phones, but there are few takers.

South Korea: Director wins top award at Cannes Film Festival

Bong Joon-ho became the first Korean director to receive the highest honour at the Cannes Film Festival. Bong was awarded the Palme d'Or for his dark comedy thriller, Parasite, about a poor family who infiltrates a rich household.