This Year in Asia: Huawei, Hong Kong protests, domestic workers and toxic masculinity in K-pop are our most-read stories from 2019
- From Huawei to the Hong Kong protests, via toxic masculinity in K-pop and the continued mistreatment of domestic workers, here are the most-read stories of the year
It’s been a big year, what with protests in Hong Kong, the regional fallout as Huawei became a target in the continuing joust for influence between the United States and China, and a spate of controversies everywhere from South Korea to the Philippines. Here are some of the stories that most resonated with readers over the past 12 months – some are quirky, others topical, and many deal with how the shifting tides of geopolitics affect all those who live in this endlessly fascinating continent.
These are your top pieces of the year – and here is a chance to go over an old favourite, or dive deep into a piece you might have missed.
1. The mistreatment of Asia’s domestic workers
Our top story of the year was a look at the plight of domestic workers around the continent. This piece was run as a follow-up to the jailing of a Singaporean couple who had force-fed, threatened and abused a domestic worker from Myanmar – but there have been a spate of such abuse cases in recent years.