Yoni Bashan

North Asia Correspondent for The Australian (@australian) || [email protected]

[Yoni Bashan @yoni_bashan]

@j_laurenceson Thank you, sir. But only one question remains: whose side are you on? 😬

[Yoni Bashan @yoni_bashan]

Chinese banks spent years moving customers online. Now they want them back, and they’re pitching free coffee, KFC deliveries and matchmaking to do so.

At this Beijing branch I visited, opening an account could help you find a spouse ❤️

Story here: https://t.co/VkJaNOH9iu

[Yoni Bashan @yoni_bashan]

China’s hotline for every problem – ‘the moon is too bright’ https://t.co/MhSwuDyoXz

[Yoni Bashan @yoni_bashan]

A man in China called the government because the moon was too bright.

He’s not alone. People have rung 12345 asking officials to crack their husband’s phone passwords, find cats and rerun the Gaokao.

I wrote ⬇️ about what happens when a state promises to listen to everything.

[Yoni Bashan @yoni_bashan]

What's it all mean? Basically, in China, how and when companies communicate their generosity matters almost as much as the pledge itself.

Full story here:

https://t.co/Bvy7fXivXn

[Yoni Bashan @yoni_bashan]

One thing that struck me about China's recent floods was how quickly some of the biggest brands announced large donations.

Tech giants. Car makers. All of them pledged tens of millions of yuan within hours.

Goodwill played a part, but it definitely wasn't the only reason.

[Yoni Bashan @yoni_bashan]

Meanwhile, during the same floods, Huawei copped a flak - not because it didn't help, but because it didn't announce a cash donation quickly enough. Lesson learned.

[Yoni Bashan @yoni_bashan]

Why China Inc donates to disaster relief: the CCP is watching https://t.co/Bvy7fXivXn via @australian

[ChineseEmbassyManila @Chinaembmanila]

The "South China Sea arbitration" drama, explained in an AI cartoon.
Jurisdiction? None.
Historical rights? Irrelevant.

[Yoni Bashan @yoni_bashan]

How China is applying the EV playbook to fruit https://t.co/I37wJoBYBu via @australian

[Yoni Bashan @yoni_bashan]

China launches nuclear-capable missile with a dummy warhead into the South Pacific following Australia’s signing of a new mutual defence treaty with Fiji. https://t.co/IkgasISu5e via @australian