DAKE KANG

Investigative reporter and video journalist

Kang covers Chinese politics, technology and society from Beijing for The Associated Press. He’s reported across Central, South, and East Asia, and was a Pulitzer finalist for investigative reporting in China.

Chinese scientist who published COVID-19 virus sequence allowed back in his lab after sit-in protest

The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China says he has been allowed back into his lab after days of protest.

Chinese scientist who first published COVID sequence stages protest after being locked out of lab

The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China staged a sit-in protest outside his lab after authorities locked him out of the facility.

Takeaways from AP report on how the search for the coronavirus origins turned toxic

The Chinese government froze meaningful efforts to trace the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, despite publicly declaring that it supported an open scientific inquiry, an Associated Press investigation has found.

Toxic: How the search for the origins of COVID-19 turned politically poisonous

The Chinese government froze meaningful efforts to trace the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, despite publicly declaring that it supported an open scientific inquiry, an Associated Press investigation has found.

Far fewer young Americans now want to study in China. Both countries are trying to fix that

The imbalance in the U.S.-China relationship extends beyond trade to the world of higher education. These days, only about 700 American students are studying at Chinese universities, down from a peak of almost 25,000 a decade ago, while there are nearly 300,000 Chinese students at U.S. schools.

Detention of 3 teens over the gruesome killing of a 13-year-old classmate sparks a debate in China

Three teens have been detained over the gruesome murder of a 13-year-old boy in China, sparking debate over bullying and mental health in China’s countryside.

Elderly retirees face big losses after Chinese trust goes bust, reflecting turbulent economy

Some investors in a troubled Chinese trust fund are facing financial ruin under a government plan to return a fraction of their money back.

Behind the doors of a Chinese hacking company, a sordid culture fueled by influence, alcohol and sex

China’s hacking industry, leaked internal documents reveal, is vast in size and scope but also suffers from shady business practices, disgruntlement over pay and work quality, and poor security protocols.

China seeks ways to revive slowing economy and salvage property market as annual congress convenes

China’s efforts to restore confidence and rev up the economy will top the agenda during this month’s meeting of the ceremonial national legislature.

Two Chinese bloggers in exile warn that police are interrogating their followers

Two prominent Chinese bloggers in exile said that police were investigating their millions of followers on international social media platforms, in an escalation of Beijing’s attempts to clamp down on critical speech even outside of the country’s borders.

The Chinese government carefully watches those it deems a threat. Here’s a glimpse into how

Chinese police are investigating an unauthorized and highly unusual online dump of documents from a private security contractor linked to China’s top policing agency and other parts of its government.

One year after protests shook China, participants ponder the meaning of the brief flare of defiance

A year ago, Li Houchen was on the streets of Shanghai, hollering “Freedom!” to protest China’s harsh “zero COVID” controls and growing authoritarianism.

Artist Zeng Fanzhi depicts ‘zero-COVID’ after a lifetime of service to the Chinese state

A year after protests pushed Beijing to end its stringent “zero-COVID” controls, a retired architect is on the road displaying portraits of life under the policy.

North Korean art sells in China despite UN sanctions over nuclear program

A Beijing-based art dealer touts itself as China’s premier seller of North Korean art, despite stiff U.N. sanctions prohibiting the sale of such goods.

A court in China sentences a famed Uyghur scholar to life in prison, foundation says

A human rights foundation says a prominent Uyghur scholar specializing in the study of her people’s folklore and traditions has been sentenced to life in prison in China.

Laos deports human rights lawyer who was fleeing state pressure back to China

A human rights lawyer who was arrested in Laos has been deported back to China despite pleas from rights groups and United Nations experts for his release.

A rights lawyer who was fleeing China has been arrested in neighboring Laos

A Chinese rights lawyer stripped of his license for taking on sensitive cases has been arrested in Laos while fleeing China.

In China, a muted reaction to the revolt in Russia belies anxiety over war, global balance of power

China’s muted reaction to the Wagner mercenary group uprising against Russia’s military belies Beijing’s growing anxieties over the war in Ukraine and how this affects the global balance of power.

Cooperation or competition? China’s security industry sees the US, not AI, as the bigger threat

China’s security and surveillance industry is now focused on shoring up its vulnerabilities to the United States and other outside actors, worried about risks posed by hackers, advances in artificial intelligence and pressure from rival governments.

Ignoring experts, China’s sudden zero-COVID exit cost lives

BEIJING (AP) — When China suddenly scrapped onerous zero-COVID measures in December, the country wasn’t ready for a massive onslaught of cases, with hospitals turning away ambulances and crematoriums burning bodies around the clock.

Ignoring experts, China’s sudden zero-COVID exit cost lives

BEIJING (AP) — When China suddenly scrapped onerous zero-COVID measures in December, the country wasn’t ready for a massive onslaught of cases.

New COVID origins data point to raccoon dogs in China market

The mystery to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic now has some new clues. International scientists have found raccoon dog DNA comingled with the virus in previously unavailable genetic data.

China calls US House resolution ‘political manipulation’

China has dismissed a U.S. House of Representatives resolution condemning Beijing over a suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down above U.S. waters as “purely political manipulation and hyping up.”

Packed ICUs, crowded crematoriums: COVID roils Chinese towns

BAZHOU, China (AP) — Yao Ruyan paced frantically outside the fever clinic of a county hospital in China’s industrial Hebei province, 70 kilometers (43 miles) southwest of Beijing.

Packed ICUs, crowded crematoriums: COVID roils Chinese towns

BAZHOU, China (AP) — Yao Ruyan paced frantically outside the fever clinic of a county hospital in China’s industrial Hebei province, 70 kilometers (43 miles) southwest of Beijing.

‘A very hard road ahead’ for China as COVID-19 cases spiral

Nearly three years after the coronavirus was first identified in China, it is now spreading through the country and experts predict difficult months ahead for its 1.4 billion people.

China limits how it defines COVID deaths in official count

A Chinese health official says the country only counts deaths from pneumonia or respiratory failure in its official COVID-19 death toll, a narrow definition that limits the numbers of deaths being reported as the virus surges following the easing of pandemic-related restrictions.

Chinese with mild COVID urged to work as restrictions ease

Several local governments in China have encouraged people with mild cases of COVID-19 to go to work this week.

COVID-linked deaths seen in Beijing after virus rules eased

Deaths linked to the coronavirus are appearing in Beijing after weeks of China reporting no fatalities, even as the country is seeing a surge of cases.

A week into China’s easing, uncertainty over virus direction

A week after China dramatically eased some of the world’s strictest COVID-19 containment measures, uncertainty remains over the direction of the pandemic in the world’s most populous nation.