China

The US and China want more foreign exchange students between their two countries. But politics and bureaucracy often complicate the process, and far fewer Americans are going to China to study than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Olympian Beiwen Zhang went pro in badminton at age 13, leaving her home country of China for Singapore to pursue the sport. She struggled with the pressure of competitive athletics, though. The World’s Bianca Hillier has the story of how she bounced back, not just from intense stress but also from what many believed could be a career-ending injury.

Newly leaked files from a private Chinese hackers-for-hire company provide a fresh look into China’s “cyber industrial complex” — and it appears to be bigger and more mature than observers had previously imagined. Dina Temple-Raston, host and managing editor of the Recorded Future News podcast “Click Here,” has the story.

March 18 marks the 10-year anniversary of a movement that changed Taiwanese politics for a generation. The Sunflower Movement saw hundreds of students occupy Taiwan’s Legislature — demanding that lawmakers reconsider a trade deal they were about to ratify with China.

The World’s hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler talked with National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek about his experiences walking across China and beyond as a part of his “Out of Eden Walk” project.