Abc Chinese

The forces that have powered China's rise are rarely explored, while the lives of Chinese people barely get a mention. Beyond the headlines what do we really know about China and its 1.4 billion citizens?

They’re a familiar sight in suburban parks around the world - people from seemingly all walks of life exercising and meditating according to the teachings of Falun Gong. Founded in China in the 1990s, the group’s practice aims to heal body and mind and has attracted millions of followers. The movement first gained global attention when its members became the target of ruthless persecution by the Chinese Communist Party, triggering widespread sympathy and support in the West.

In China, almost two thousand people have died as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) with tens of thousands more infected. Authorities are resorting to extreme measures to try to halt the contagion. To try to contain the spread, Australian authorities have effectively sealed our borders to people travelling from China. Four Corners charts how the outbreak occurred and investigates whether a cover up by Chinese authorities allowed the virus to spread.

Follows a Chinese political artist in exile, on a personal challenge to stop the Communist regime's whitewashing of history and abuse of human rights - and in the process, risking his family's freedom.

How the Chinese Communist Party crushed democracy. Thirty years ago, in the centre of China's communist capital, millions of students and citizens staged weeks of protests calling for democracy. The students and their fellow protestors stared down their government in the full gaze of the world's media, demanding an end to totalitarian rule.

President Trump has ignited a massive trade war with China, slapping billions of dollars worth of tariffs on Chinese goods. Despite the rhetoric, questions are being asked about who has the most to lose from the conflict.

New evidence of China's covert political influence campaign in Australia. "We've had multiple briefings at the top-secret level from ASIO and other agencies that foreign interference is being conducted in Australia at an unprecedented level." Federal Intelligence and Security Committee member. In 2017, Four Corners, in a joint investigation with The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, revealed the lengths the Chinese Communist Party was going to, to influence Australia's politicians. In response, the federal government passed new laws to ban foreign interference. "Political systems and parties just took what they could for as long as they could get away with it." Former prime ministerial adviser.