Chris Lau - News Desk Reporter, CNN International
Chris Lau
News Desk Reporter, CNN International
Chris Lau is a News Desk Reporter for CNN International.
Latest
Kayaker’s leg amputated in 20-hour ordeal trapped between rocks on Australia river
Nov 23, 2024
A kayaker’s leg was amputated during a dramatic, hours-long rescue operation to free him from between rocks on a river in Australia on Saturday, local police said.
Hong Kong hears from jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai for the first time in four years at his trial
Nov 20, 2024
Jimmy Lai, the pugnacious Hong Kong media tycoon whose now shuttered tabloid Apple Daily was a regular thorn in Beijing’s side, took the stand Wednesday in his own defense for the first time in a high stakes national security trial that could send him to prison for life.
Joshua Wong shouts ‘I love Hong Kong’ as more than 40 leading democracy leaders handed lengthy prison terms in mass trial
Nov 19, 2024
More than 40 of Hong Kong’s best known pro-democracy figures have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 10 years on subversion charges, in the biggest single blow to the city’s already shrinking political freedoms following Beijing’s sweeping crackdown on dissent.
‘Only in Australia’: Couple comes home to find koala in bed
Nov 14, 2024
Koalas are normally found in eucalyptus trees, but one couple came home in Australia on Wednesday and were shocked to find one in their bedroom.
Why Russians with wads of cash flock to Apple stores in this Asian hub
Nov 9, 2024
When the new iPhone 16 went on sale last month, locals couldn’t help but notice some less familiar faces flocking to Hong Kong’s Apple stores: Russians holding piles of cash.
Seaman rescued after more than 20 hours at sea off Australia’s east coast
Nov 9, 2024
A seaman who fell off a cargo ship survived almost 20 hours at sea before being rescued off Australia’s southeastern coast on Friday, according to emergency services.
Young Chinese are ditching planes to travel long distances by bus and train. Meet the ‘iron butt’ travelers
Nov 8, 2024
A growing group of Chinese travelers are now turning to extreme forms of commuting for their vacations.
Trump and Batman led away by police? Why Chinese authorities are rattled by Halloween this year
Oct 30, 2024
A year after Shanghai’s boisterous Halloween celebrations made global headlines, revelers dressed as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and comic book superheroes were escorted away by police as authorities appeared to crack down on the festivities.
‘Really squeezed’: Why drivers in the world’s largest food delivery market are having meltdowns
Oct 18, 2024
A food delivery rider suddenly loses it in the middle of the road, smashing his cellphone on the pavement after getting a negative review from a customer.
China’s censorship is among the toughest in the world. So why did it let Kanye West play?
Oct 12, 2024
Ye is among a growing number of Western artists returning to the world’s second-biggest economy which is struggling to revive an economy plagued by a property crisis and weak frugal consumer spending.
Xiaohongshu: How ‘China’s Instagram’ is transforming the travel industry
Oct 10, 2024
Chinese travelers aren’t finding out-of-the-way locations by chance. They are all followers of Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), China’s answer to Instagram.
This is the world’s smallest Rubik’s Cube. And it actually works
Oct 4, 2024
Japanese toymaker MegaHouse has unveiled a miniature Rubik’s Cube — one so tiny that you might need a pair of tweezers to solve it.
Two killed as slow-moving Typhoon Krathon lumbers into southern Taiwan
Oct 3, 2024
Two people have died after a typhoon slammed into southwestern Taiwan, deluging the major port city of Kaohsiung with heavy rain and forcing the island to shut down for a second day.
South Korea court sentences highest-ranking police officer yet to jail over Halloween crush
Sep 30, 2024
The former head of a local police station in Seoul has been sentenced to three years in jail over a deadly 2022 Halloween crowd crush, making him the highest-ranking law enforcement official to be held criminally liable over the disaster.
New Zealand reclaims record for world’s largest Haka on home turf, dethroning France
Sep 30, 2024
New Zealand has reclaimed the world record for the largest mass Haka, with thousands packing a major stadium on Sunday for a resounding performance of the traditional Māori routine.
Panda pair arrive to VIP welcome in Hong Kong, as Beijing marks 75 years of communist China
Sep 26, 2024
Hong Kong rolled out the red carpet Thursday to receive two giant pandas gifted by the Chinese government to mark 75 years of Communist Party rule, part of a citywide push by authorities to deepen patriotism.
About
Chris Lau is a News Desk Reporter for CNN International, based in Hong Kong. He writes breaking news, analysis, and feature stories on the Asia-Pacific region.
Since joining CNN, he has covered the trials of pro-democracy leaders in Hong Kong, the city’s economic struggles and how Beijing’s tightening grip is reshaping the international financial hub. He has also written extensively on social issues impacting other parts of Asia, such as the population crisis in Japan.
Lau previously worked for the South China Morning Post. His work on the state of political and legal affairs in Hong Kong has been recognized by the Newspaper Society of Hong Kong.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Lau spent time pursuing his university studies and internships in Australia. He has a bachelor’s degree in arts, majoring in journalism and communications, from Monash University in Melbourne. He is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English.
