FT names US/China correspondent and US financial commentator

The Financial Times announced new roles for two of its most senior U.S.-based journalists, designed to build on the FT’s ongoing U.S. growth strategy.

Demetri Sevastopulo has been appointed US-China correspondent based in Washington and Rob Armstrong will return to the FT’s opinion ranks in New York as U.S. financial commentator. These moves reflect a focus for the FT on global finance and international affairs in the U.S.

In his new role, Armstrong will write a daily email newsletter on Wall Street and the business of finance, a role that will allow him to combine the expertise built during his decade writing and reporting on international finance with his pre-journalism years as a financial analyst. Armstrong has served as U.S. finance editor since 2018 and, before that, headed both the FT’s leader-writing team and Lex column in London.

Sevastopulo, who has served as DC bureau chief for six years, will take on a newly created role, covering all aspects of American policy towards Beijing, including how the Biden administration handles Donald Trump’s tariff regime, the ongoing fight over Huawi’s 5G technologies, and military tensions in the Taiwan Straits and the South China Sea. This role underscores the importance of the U.S.-China relationship for the global economy and international security architecture.

“Demetri and Rob are two of our most brilliant, experienced journalists. These new roles highlight their reporting talents and push us further along our US growth strategy, targeting American readers who come to us for our intrepid global finance reporting and coverage of international affairs,” said Peter Spiegel, U.S. managing editor.

“Demetri has spent almost as much of his career reporting from Asia as he has from Washington. He has broken countless stories on the relationship between the US and China, including Donald Trump’s unprecedented phone call with Taiwan’s leader and the White House’s move to ban TikTok,” he continued. “Rob will no doubt delight readers in his return to the FT’s opinion ranks. His wit and attitude – which readers have come to love in his sideline as a fashion columnist – will shine in his writing on the most interesting market development of the day and tales of big names dominating the Street. I can’t wait to read them both in these new roles.”

Both Armstrong and Sevastopulo will take up their new roles in January.