John Ruwitch
John Ruwitch is a correspondent with NPR's international desk. He covers Chinese affairs.
Ruwitch joined NPR in early 2020, and has since chronicled the tectonic shift in America's relations with China, from hopeful engagement to suspicion-fueled competition. He's also reported on a range of other issues, including Beijing's pressure campaign on Taiwan, Hong Kong's National Security Law, Asian-Americans considering guns for self-defense in the face of rising violence and a herd of elephants roaming in the Chinese countryside in search of a home.
Ruwitch joined NPR after more than 19 years with Reuters in Asia, the last eight of which were in Shanghai. There, he first covered a broad beat that took him as far afield as the China-North Korea border and the edge of the South China Sea. Later, he led a team that covered business and financial markets in the world's second biggest economy. Ruwitch has also had postings in Hanoi, Hong Kong and Beijing, reporting on anti-corruption campaigns, elite Communist politics, labor disputes, human rights, currency devaluations, earthquakes, snowstorms, Olympic badminton and everything in between.
Ruwitch studied history at U.C. Santa Cruz and got a master's in Regional Studies East Asia from Harvard. He speaks Mandarin and Vietnamese.
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In a country where open expressions of sorrow can be interpreted as political, Peng Haitao's piano performance in public strikes a chord with many in China.
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The group of nations known as BRICS will welcome six more countries in 2024. The expansion creates economic opportunities for the new members, and is seen as a win for China.
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Efforts to restrict U.S. tech investment in China may serve to validate China's obsession to be self-reliant in tech and other areas. (Story aired on Weekend Edition Sunday on Aug. 12, 2023.)
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The Biden administration's efforts to restrict U.S. high-tech investment in China may serve to validate China's long-standing obsession with the need to be self-reliant in tech and other areas.
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President Biden signed an executive order Wednesday restricting U.S. investment into Chinese technology. The new rules make it harder for Americans to invest in quantum computing and semiconductors.
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The authorities in Hong Kong are dead-set on banning a song called "Glory to Hong Kong." The tune emerged as a protest anthem during huge anti-government demonstrations in the city four years ago.
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After police hauled away a computer programmer, his wife was left to discover who her husband really was — a mysterious political blogger. (Story aired on All Things Considered on July 27, 2023.)
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After the police in China hauled a computer programmer away, his wife was left to discover who her husband really was — a mysterious political blogger.
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China has replaced its foreign minister Qin Gang after weeks of speculation about his whereabouts. He lasted in the position for seven months.
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Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang's location is unkown. Tuesday marks one month since his last public appearance. A reflection of China's authoritarian system, it's complicating efforts at diplomacy.