WSJ’s Asia biz editor to also manage Hong Kong coverage

Andrew Dowell, the editor of Asia Pacific at The Wall Street Journal, sent out the following announcement:

Asia Business Editor Neil Western has taken on the added responsibility of managing our coverage of Hong Kong.

He is ideally suited to this role — a longtime resident of the city who came for a short visit but stayed on after falling for its ways and its unique vantage point on China. He will lead revitalized coverage of the city’s most important stories, its role as an entrepot, and the fate of its rule of law.

Neil covered the handover in 1997 and has built a deep expertise in the two decades since. Prior to joining the Journal, he worked at Bloomberg, where he led the Asia investigative reporting team and later ran political coverage of China and Hong Kong, including during the frantic days and nights of the 2014 Occupy protests.

And as a past president and current fixture of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Neil will happily host visitors for a drink or a curry.