Expert views: China's national defence white paper

For the first time since 2015, China has released a national defence white paper. It is a key document to understand China’s national military policy. Five China and defence experts provided commentary to the Asia Media Centre.

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What's happening in Asia in August? 

Got a trip to Asia coming up? Want a heads up on major events taking place in the region? Here’s our monthly guide to what’s happening in Asia...

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Singapore the recipe for success for Kiwi baker

Craving a classic meat pie in Shanghai, or the perfect flat white in the Philippines? In our Kiwi Flavours series, the Asia Media Centre speaks to Kiwis who are running successful food and beverage businesses 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. 

• Kiwi Uyghur man claims harassment and threats by Chinese embassy
  NEWSHUB
    
• AUT scraps Tiananmen Square event
  NEWSROOM
    
• Hong Kong Kiwi 'living in fear' as protest against proposed China extradition law turns violent
  NZ HERALD
    
• How tragedy has preserved the world order
  NEWSROOM
   
• Northlanders to learn Japanese before the Rugby World Cup
  NORTHERN ADVOCATE
   
• RWC 2019: Japanese host city rebuild keeps rugby at its heart
  RADIO NZ

What news about Asia got people talking this week? These are our picks for analysis and longer reads about the region.

• A 2016 police search of a New Zealand-bound private jet revealed a surprising passenger: Ming Chai, the cousin of China president Xi Jinping. The full story, and police inquiries into possible links between organised crime syndicates and the Chinese Communist Party, has been revealed in an investigation by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes.

• In just over a year, the Philippines government has filed 11 cases against Philippines newspaper Rappler and its co-founder Maria Ressa. Ressa is now on trial for criminal libel charges, with Amal Clooney’s team of lawyers providing legal assistance. In this analysis, Ressa explains how a new era to protect journalists and democracy has begun.

• The launch of Netflix’s cheapest subscription plan yet is a mobile-only service for users in India. The move signals Netflix’s growing interest in the Indian market as the company haemorrhages US customers. Sacred Games, Netflix’s first Indian-made original series, was a huge success in the country, but the cheaper plan is intended to win over more subscribers on tight budgets.

Thailand: Haircut featuring face of Thai king divides royalists

A devoted monarchist has marked the occasion of the Thai king's 67th birthday by getting his likeness shaved into his hair. But not everyone was impressed by his regal new look, in a country notorious for its strict lese-majeste laws.

World: Sephora discovers widespread data breach

Details of Sephora's online customers across Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand have been leaked. The beauty giant said some personal information may have been exposed to unauthorised third parties.

China: Award-winning South Korean film pulled from festival

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's Parasite - which took the top award at Cannes - has been pulled from a China film festival due to "technical reasons". It's reportedly the fifth film to experience such issues in China.