OLD Media Moves

Washington Post hires FT’s Shepherd as China correspondent

September 10, 2021

Posted by Chris Roush

Christian Shepherd

Washington Post foreign editor Douglas Jehl, deputy foreign editor Eva Rodriguez and Asia editor David Crawshaw sent out the following announcement on Friday:

We’re very pleased to announce that Christian Shepherd will join The Post as a China correspondent, joining a formidable team charged with covering an ascendant China as it emerges as a new breed of superpower and shapes the 21st century.

Christian is already deeply invested in the China story, having spent the last six years as a Beijing correspondent for Reuters and the Financial Times. He has written with grace and verve about all manner of things, from snake breeders in the jungles of southern China to the Communist party’s anti-corruption campaign. He developed range and authority by covering a broad variety of subjects: the steel and automotive sectors for the FT; human rights and society for Reuters; and then, since 2019, human rights, foreign affairs and the military, again for the Financial Times.

In all, Christian points out that he has spent “half a lifetime” in China, having also lived there for a decade as a child. He is a graduate of Oxford University, with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and psychology, and the University of Nottingham, Ningbo, with a master’s degree in contemporary Chinese studies. He also completed intensive Chinese language studies at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

At The Post, Christian will be part of a China team led by Lily Kuo, our bureau chief, and includes Eva Dou, our business and technology correspondent. We intend for Christian to be based in Beijing once his accreditation is granted by the Chinese authorities. Until then, he will join Lily in reporting from Taipei.

Please join us in welcoming Christian to The Post. He starts Sept. 13.

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