Kerry Allen
Appearances
Global News Podcast
Canadian PM Mark Carney says he wants to reduce security reliance on the US
Chinese state media have been putting out pictures today of four Taiwanese officials, Ling Yushu, Cai Jiehong, Nian Xiaofan, Wang Kaoming. They're all members of the ISF-COM. And they're saying that these individuals operated using the name Anonymous 64 and they spread false information on social media, very much to push a message of pro-independence for Taiwan.
Global News Podcast
Canadian PM Mark Carney says he wants to reduce security reliance on the US
China's Ministry of State Security says they did this in a number of ways. So it alleges that they infiltrated key information infrastructure on the mainland, including water, electricity, gas, heat, communications and networked cameras. It says they also stealed logging credentials to gain control and insert Taiwanese propaganda.
Global News Podcast
Canadian PM Mark Carney says he wants to reduce security reliance on the US
Now, as you mentioned, the department in Taiwan has called this an ungrounded fabrication. They've said that this isn't true whatsoever. And their comment today is that this message from Beijing is aimed at intimidating the Taiwanese public.
Global News Podcast
Canadian PM Mark Carney says he wants to reduce security reliance on the US
It does, yes. There have been increased tensions in recent years. And I would say ever since Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party came to power in 2016. But they have particularly amplified in the last year since Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te came to power. He's made some strong statements about Beijing. In fact, in the last week, he labelled China China.
Global News Podcast
Canadian PM Mark Carney says he wants to reduce security reliance on the US
as a foreign hostile force and that was widely regarded as being some of his strongest rhetoric yet. As for this influencer who's been expelled from Taiwan, one of the concerns of Taiwan is that China is trying to increasingly use its soft power to influence opinion within Taiwan and to very much push a pro-Beijing message, a message of unification with mainland China. Kerry Allen.
Global News Podcast
China vows to fight US 'blackmail' over tariffs
This has been a major talking point today in Chinese media. So China's foreign ministry spokesman called the comments surprising and sad. He said that the perceptions of China were ignorant and impolite. And on social media platforms, people are very much commenting with regards to Vance. They're saying it takes one to know one.
Global News Podcast
China vows to fight US 'blackmail' over tariffs
I'm seeing comments from users saying that they perceive he's arrogant and rude. Some say that he could be potentially be banned from coming to China amidst such comments. And one comment that's received tens of thousands of likes is from a user saying that he looks like an expired egg.
Global News Podcast
China says it won't bow to pressure from Trump tariffs
China's Ministry of Commerce has said that the door is open to talks with the US, but it regards the action in recent days as bullying China. So I'm seeing messaging today from the government saying that dialogue must be conducted on equal footing and on the basis of mutual respect. And there is a hope that the US and China will meet each other halfway.
Global News Podcast
China says it won't bow to pressure from Trump tariffs
Another message that's very strongly coming out in state media is that if the US wants to get involved in a tariff or trade war with China, it will not back down. There's a lot of messaging stressing that China will fight to the end.
Global News Podcast
China says it won't bow to pressure from Trump tariffs
Well, it's difficult to know online because on social media platforms like Sina Weibo, which is China's equivalent of a platform like X or Facebook, you've got a situation where you've got click farms that put out patriotic messaging. You've also got censorship. So it's difficult to gauge how ordinary people feel.
Global News Podcast
China says it won't bow to pressure from Trump tariffs
But at the same time, what I'm seeing today is video footage of ordinary Chinese in Beijing talking about how they feel.
Global News Podcast
China says it won't bow to pressure from Trump tariffs
Yeah, absolutely. And this is something that Chinese media often do. They will draw on historical clips and say that the US in particular should learn from history. So there have been clips that have been pretty much going viral today in China. One of them is historical footage of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong saying, no matter how long a war lasts, we will never yield.
Global News Podcast
China says it won't bow to pressure from Trump tariffs
And China's foreign ministry spokeswoman has been sharing this.
Global News Podcast
China says it won't bow to pressure from Trump tariffs
Well, I think it seems very clear that China isn't afraid to back down. And there's just this messaging that if the US does want this fight, that China will keep on fighting back. And Chinese people feel that it will win. So I think we're expected to see more of this if Trump decides to up the ante even further.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
Yang was 10 nautical miles out from the city of Sanya, which is roughly 30 kilometres from Aliang's home village, and he spotted the little green rowing boat. At first he thought it was an extreme sports enthusiast until he heard the boy crying. He told media, when we could hear each other clearly, he burst into tears.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
He said that he'd gone out to play and fish, but had accidentally been washed away by the waves. He drifted at sea all night and couldn't find his way home. Fortunately, he was okay. He had some sunburn from prolonged sun exposure and was obviously very hungry when he was rescued, but otherwise has managed to survive unscathed.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
His father, Mr Huang, has said that he's relieved to have his son home. Local rescuers have said that if he had been out at sea much longer, he might have suffered sunstroke and been dehydrated. One rescuer told the Global Times newspaper that the sea had been windy and rough on Friday night, and even an adult would have struggled to survive in such conditions, let alone a child.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
People have called the story a real-life version of the life of Pi, referring to the 2001 novel by Jan Martel. Some on Chinese social media have attributed Aliang's survival to his being a member of the Tanka people. They're an ethnic group in South China that are also known as boat people because they traditionally lived on junks in coastal parts of China.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
They're good at swimming and often involved with fishing and breeding. Media have warned, though, that Aliang's story is a cautionary tale. The People's Daily newspaper says that it's a reminder that parents need to keep a close eye on their children. But other papers have noted that Aliang was well known for being mischievous and it had not been his first time taking a boat out to sea by himself.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
He's told media that he's just disappointed that he didn't catch any fish.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
The shouts you can hear in this clip are from a 10-year-old boy who's been on quite an adventure. A little boy known as A Liang had gone fishing last Friday in Chuling, which is a coastal village in South China's Hainan province. He'd been hoping to catch some squid and not telling his parents had taken out a little green rowing boat in the hope of being able to catch some.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
Only, he'd fallen asleep and had drifted out to sea with no food, water or protective clothing. Fortunately, this is a story with a happy ending. Last Saturday, nearly 24 hours after Aliang had gone missing, he was spotted at sea by a fisherman called Little Yang.
Global News Podcast
Fatalities and injuries in German Christmas market attack
Absolutely. And today there's been a real emphasis on that. The suggestion that 25 years on that Macau has gone from being what some media have described as a backdrop for a lot of gangster films. It's a city associated with casinos. Instead, there's been an emphasis that it's become a
Global News Podcast
Fatalities and injuries in German Christmas market attack
a sports hub, it hosts the Grand Prix, it's becoming a growing place for education development, that Macau is going to be a real development hotspot in the next few years. For example, its GDP in 2023 was seven times what it was before handover. So there's a real emphasis that it's not just a city full of casinos.
Global News Podcast
Fatalities and injuries in German Christmas market attack
Yes, we have. Yes, it's something that's also used to describe Hong Kong. And generally, the idea is that both Hong Kong and Macau are under the umbrella of China, even though they have their own separate governments that falls under the umbrella of the Beijing Communist Party government. So, in a lot of respects, what you get in Macau and Hong Kong is more press freedom, you get more
Global News Podcast
Fatalities and injuries in German Christmas market attack
local development that isn't the same as mainland China. And also, it's worth noting that Hong Kong's chief executive has also been at these events today. So there's really a message of all three regions coming together, but for China's overall development.
Global News Podcast
Fatalities and injuries in German Christmas market attack
Well, in Macau, it's always been regarded as the good boy or the good girl when it comes to its relationship with the central government. The chief executive has always been a one-horse race. So it's always been known that there's going to be a towing of the party line, working very, very closely with China. You don't get as much with Hong Kong.
Global News Podcast
Fatalities and injuries in German Christmas market attack
In fact, we know in recent years there have been lots of demonstrations and protests in the city. There's a lot of British expats who might want to change the status quo and not work so closely, kind of look back on the British era much more fondly than under China's reign. But Macau has not had that relationship.
Global News Podcast
Fatalities and injuries in German Christmas market attack
It's very much been regarded as very much towing the party line and as a result, developing at a fast rate. That's how Communist Party media often report this.
Global News Podcast
Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal
This is an online influencer called Tim Storm singing about a Chinese social media app. It's been given the unofficial name Red Note. It's been around since 2013 and has often been thought of as China's answer to Instagram. It's also moved to allowing users to post videos.
Global News Podcast
Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal
Chinese state media have been talking about a trend of America-based TikTok refugees moving over to Red Note in anticipation of a US government ban being imposed on TikTok this Sunday. Media say they hope incoming President Trump can save it and have suggested that he's become quite a fan of the platform himself.
Global News Podcast
Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal
But Chinese media say that if the ban does go ahead, Red Red Note may be the place to be.
Global News Podcast
Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal
Newspapers have been reporting that Americans who've moved to Red Note have enjoyed learning basic Chinese and speaking to people in China. There have been some dramatic reports on Americans being moved to tears by the friendly Chinese people they have spoken to. Chinese audiences have also seen Americans talk about how a TikTok ban imposed by the U.S.
Global News Podcast
Israeli government approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal
government would be a clampdown on freedom of speech and would make the U.S. as guilty of what it often accuses China of, censorship. And so a lot is hinging on whether the ban will go ahead in China's eyes. It could either signal a new era of China and the US coming together, or another four years of mutual distrust. Kerry Allen.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Getting engaged in the ashes of our home
The social kind of anxiety that was caused by Covid, a lot of people are still recovering from that and maybe are a bit nervous to talk about it. Maybe you hit 30 and you're like, I don't have as many friends. You look on social media and obviously social media is real tinted glasses. And so you're seeing the best parts of people's lives and it makes you feel like, oh, I'm not where I want to be.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Getting engaged in the ashes of our home
We really want to try and make sure we're removing the stigma and talk about Das ist völlig normal. Wir haben angefangen, mental zu gehen, um draußen zu sein. Es ist etwas, was für alle einfach und zugänglich ist.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Getting engaged in the ashes of our home
Es gibt so viele Studien, die zeigen, dass es eine 20- bis 30-minütige Strecke, die Unterschiede zu deiner mentalen Gesundheit hat, aber auch zu deiner physischen Gesundheit, und sogar Dinge wie, wenn du nach Hause kommst von einer Strecke wie dieser, schläfst du besser.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Getting engaged in the ashes of our home
Wenn du schläfst, weil deine Endorphine losgeht und du fühlst dich mehr dazu, zu sprechen, fühlt es sich etwas weniger intensiv an, als wenn du in einem Raum sitzt. Und manchmal, wenn du vorwärts schläfst und jemand neben dir spricht, fühlt es sich ein bisschen einfacher an.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Getting engaged in the ashes of our home
Wenn ich und Billy angefangen haben, war unsere Sache so, dass wenn sogar eine Person in eine Gruppe kommt und sie sich fühlt, dass sie eine Person ist, die wir geholfen haben. Wir bekommen Botschaften von Leuten, die in die Gruppe gekommen sind, die sagen, dass sie das genau brauchen.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Getting engaged in the ashes of our home
There are so many studies to show going on a 20 to 30 minute walk, the difference it has on mental health but also your physical health. When you're walking, you feel more inclined to talk about stuff.
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
If there's one main cause in China for marriage rates being really, really bad, quite small now. I mean, 6.1 million marriages were registered in 2024. It's the one-child policy, which was in place between the years 1979 and 2015. It meant that parents could only have one child. And it means now that the younger demographic are much, much smaller than the older demographic.
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
So there's simply fewer people who are young who are able to get married. But that's just one reason. There have been a number of other factors in recent years that have meant that marriage rates have dropped. The government's blamed the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that people have not been able to go out and meet potential partners. There are other reasons as well.
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
China's younger, working much more overtime nowadays due to a shrinking population. So they're not having time to go out and meet people. There are also social concerns, concerns about domestic violence, for example, that a lot of young people, young women don't want to be trapped in an abusive relationship. And there are, as a whole, just changing social attitudes towards marriage.
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
Some people want to pursue further education or climb the employment ladder, and marriage is no longer a high priority.
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
Well, it's tried to offer lots of different incentives. So in little villages, you can buy a house for much cheaper if you're married. Things like this are happening. And the government's really tried to make it clear that this is a big priority. It wants people to get married faster. in order to have more children so that there is a much bigger, younger demographic.
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
But it's just something that young people are just not that interested in. I mean, young women are concerned that they might be forced back into traditional roles. You see a lot of comments on social media that young women are saying that they're concerned they're being turned back into baby making machines. And young men as well. I mean, they think that
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
Weddings are expensive and there are these traditional expectations that you have to buy a house as a prerequisite for marriage if you're male. And youth unemployment's been, well, it's sat at around 20% for the last few years. So a lot of young men are quite poor. And the idea that they need to save towards a marriage is, it's very low on their priority list.
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
It is, yes. There are a lot of concerns. I mean, this is why the government has really tried to ramp up this marriage message in recent years. Because the older demographic, there's nobody to look after them. So there's this concern that, you know, who's going to look after the population over the age of 60? And already now, over 21% of China's population is over 60.
Global News Podcast
President Trump's planned tariffs on steel and aluminium imports widely condemned
And not only that, there's a shrinking labour market because, yeah, you've got a situation where there are fewer young people to fill in behind the jobs left by the older demographic. So Who's going to look after the older demographic and who's going to do the jobs?
Global News Podcast
Trump threatens to escalate trade war with China
It's pretty common in Western society to see celebrities hounded by paparazzi, and there are plenty of tabloid magazines devoted to celebrity gossip. Reading them can be a bit of a guilty pleasure. But this kind of culture is something that the Chinese government is increasingly keen to crack down on, seemingly due to worries that it could spin out of control.
Global News Podcast
Trump threatens to escalate trade war with China
Today, China's top internet regulator released a statement saying that there's a need to stamp out what it calls fan club disorder in China's entertainment industry. According to the Cyberspace Administration of China, a number of social media accounts have been shut down today, as social media users have started to emerge who are calling themselves paparazzi.
Global News Podcast
Trump threatens to escalate trade war with China
They're secretly photographing and following celebrities in order to get scoops. Some of these accounts have become very popular in recent months, with young Chinese regarding names like Liu Dachui and Wang Dafai as showbiz insiders. It's unclear who runs these accounts as the owners disguise themselves, but they've definitely set tongs wagging with many of their claims.
Global News Podcast
Trump threatens to escalate trade war with China
China's regulator says these accounts have been spreading vulgar hype, gossip and scandal and basically polluting China's online media environment. This goes against the positive energy that President Xi Jinping has said he wants people to spread online. and so anything that's seen as negative is quite often censored on Chinese social media.
Global News Podcast
Trump threatens to escalate trade war with China
China has one of the most tightly controlled media environments in the world, and administrators of social media platforms like Sina Weibo routinely remove posts that are seen to damage the online environment. That means bullying, trolling and harmful material is often taken down, but so is anything that's critical of the ruling Communist Party.
Global News Podcast
Trump threatens to escalate trade war with China
Crackdowns on accounts associated with celebrities have been pretty common in recent months. In January, a number of online fan communities were disbanded associated with sporting stars. There are questions to be asked about why the Communist Party is taking such an interest. There's an argument to be made that they're simply responding to what they see as increasingly obsessive behaviour.
Global News Podcast
Trump threatens to escalate trade war with China
But equally, the Communist Party wants to maintain an ideological and cultural grip on young Chinese. If they're increasingly wooed by celebrity culture, Communist Party messaging might not be reaching them in the same way.