WSJ’s Wei discusses covering China’s central bank

Lingling Wei, a China correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, talks about how covering its economy helped answer some of the most pressing questions when the yuan significantly devalued.

“For years, China has been a global growth driver, but that changed in the summer of 2015,” said Wei. “…So we decided to answer the big question on everyone’s mind: How does China set its exchange rate?”

To navigate the secretive Chinese government, Wei started with state-owned enterprises, which have a big sway over policy. Wei convinced executives to talk to her, which opened the door to government advisers and eventually party officials.

Wei interviewed dozens of experts and insiders and then wrote a behind-the-scenes look at China’s central bank.

“China’s goals of more long-time growth was balanced against short-term financial pressures across various industries, a complex balancing act on which China’s future depended” said Wei. “Global affairs for decades to come will depend on how China manages that scale, and I look forward to covering it.”

To listen, go here.