With Washington distracted and opportunities in clean energy, Beijing might have the last laugh

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 March, host and deputy foreign editor Albert Wai teams up again with senior China correspondent Yew Lun Tian. Their focus is on the war in the Middle East.

The conflict in Iran has further complicated Beijing’s ties with Washington. However, there are some dividends that might be reaped by China as America’s allies potentially look East because they find it more and more challenging to be on the same page as Trump.

On the economic front, fuel shortage is being felt across the board. But given China’s strengths in green technology, there might be opportunities for its companies as countries look to rejig their energy mix in the long run.

Additionally, military analysts have suggested that the conflict serves as a living laboratory for Chinese technology given that some of Iran’s defences are reliant on systems developed by China.

For now, Beijing’s global standing may have taken a hit as it has been exposed for having limited influence over happenings in the region. But with America fully engaged in Iran and the financial cost of the war, foreign policy space might well open up for China.

Highlights (click/tap above):

02:17 Tensions between US and its allies could benefit China

07:26 A reminder on fossil fuel reliance

10:20 Beijing has spent years preparing for a fuel shock

12:56 Will China join a convoy in the Straits of Hormuz?

17:23 Iran as a living lab for military tech

20:02 Beijing’s limited influence in the Middle East

Read more: https://str.sg/rk3J

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

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Will lucky draws, monetary rewards or ‘sticks’ work when it comes to getting Singapore residents to recycle?

A new recycling initiative called the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) launches on April 1, but with household recycling rate in 2024 fell to a record low of 11 per cent, will this move the needle?

Mr Heng Li Seng, founder and director of social enterprise Green Nudge, and Associate Professor Victor Seah, director of the Behavioural Insights Centre of Excellence at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, drop by The Usual Place to help sort out our recycling woes.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:29 Will the BCRS work?

5:41 Is a 10-cents refund a good enough sweetener?

7:11 ‘Sticks’ to change behaviour

10:49 Transparency of recycling process

16:14 Tiong Bahru residents have enough of blue bins

18:29 Shaming others into recycling?

21:39 Recycling not so simple as before

24:29 Can recycling be sexy?

28:39 No silver bullet to get people to recycle

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg)

Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Editorial producer: Elizabeth Law

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX

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YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

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Are these cards really that bad? Could playing with them lead to gambling?

Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.

Pokemon. One Piece. Magic: The Gathering. These trading card games bring back nostalgic childhood memories. But the government's plans to regulate them raise questions.

In this episode, assistant opinion editor Lianne Chia speaks to psychiatrist Lim Boon Leng from Gleneagles Medical Centre, and Chew Zhan Lun, co-founder of card marketplace CTRL Collectibles, who recently made headlines for rejecting a $1.3 million offer for one of his Pokemon cards.

They delve into the nature of the trading card scene and how such cards - initially meant for children to play with - have turned into a hyped-up investment asset. But with social media and livestreaming fuelling this boom, there are practices that could cross the line into gambling. Could regulations, therefore, be a good thing for the scene? And what could they look like?

Highlights (click/tap above):

7:28 When a hobby becomes lucrative, what do we lose?

13:08 What makes people spend thousands of dollars on a single card?

17:29 Is there something inherently wrong with trading cards that could cause one to be addicted to gambling?

20:31 Are we exposing our children to gambling?

26:41 Is regulation going to take the fun out of the hobby?

Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH

Host: Lianne Chia (liannechia@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Lynda Hong

Follow In Your Opinion Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb

Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg

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