Reuters seeks China finance correspondent

The China Finance Correspondent will take on one of the most important stories of the decade: China’s efforts to wean its economy off its addiction to credit and rationalize access to capital without destabilizing a financial system that hosts some of the world’s largest banks, yet remains closely controlled by the state.

This reform effort is at the heart of Beijing’s project to preserve and even upgrade the competitiveness of Chinese companies in the face of profound long-term structural changes to the world’s second-largest economy, and its success is anything but assured.

The correspondent will cover Chinese banks’ general condition, as well as the development of the non-loan credit sector, in particular bonds and other forms of non-bank credit, also known as “shadow banking.”

The correspondent will take the lead on rooting out sources of systemic risk in trusts, wealth-management products and other obscure credit classes, while covering regulators’ attempts to control risk without stifling innovation.

The reporter, in tight collaboration with Reuters’ wider China financial markets team, will be responsible for both covering breaking news and regulatory changes in China’s debt markets and developing longer analytical and feature-type pieces to give readers a deeper understanding of the issues.

The role will also involve travel to debt hot spots in China to cover bank runs, bond default protests, bankruptcies and so on, to put a face on the human costs and benefits of reform.

REQUIREMENTS

Professional to fluent Mandarin required, both verbal and written

Previous experience covering banks, bonds and/or debt; background in macroeconomics helpful

Understanding of how debt markets interact with economic activity

Familiarity with Chinese policy making and ability to decipher Chinese-language policy documents

Proven track record of writing hard-hitting financial initiative stories

Sources within the Chinese financial industry helpful

To apply, go here.