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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Russian President Vladimir Putin met Chinese leader, Xi Jinping on Wednesday, as the two countries deepen their solidarity.
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China's global infrastructure initiative has always been controversial. As Xi Jinping's signature project turns 10, leaders and representatives of 130 countries are in Beijing to mark the anniversary. -
Russian President Vladimir Putin is in China to mark the 10th anniversary of its Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. But there's a lot more going on behind the visit than just that.
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Australian journalist Cheng Lei has been allowed to leave the country and is back home in Australia after being detained for more than three years on charges of espionage. -
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer held a rare meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The visit by a bipartisan delegation represents political engagement absent during the pandemic.
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China is in the middle of an eight-day nationwide holiday to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day. The government is hoping it will give a big boost to the economy.
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Almost all of China's medium and large cities are susceptible to floods. Some experts are promoting a solution called sponge cities — urban landscapes that are softer and meant to absorb more water. -
Xi Jinping and China's ruling Communist Party have displayed a dogged obsession with controlling the historical narrative. But there's a group of underground historians fighting back. -
China's Defense Minister Li Shangfu hasn't been seen in public for roughly three weeks amid unconfirmed reports he's under investigation.
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A museum in the Chinese city of Chongqing is dedicated to U.S. Gen. Joseph Stilwell, who commanded the China-Burma-India Theater in World War 2.
