James Chau

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James Chau (Chinese: 周柳建成١-.. Zhōuliǔ Jiànchéng; born 11 December 1977)[1] is a British journalist, television presenter, and United Nations goodwill ambassador. He previously anchored the main evening news on state-owned China Central Television (CCTV).[2] In 2009, he was appointed by the United Nations as China's first UNAIDS goodwill ambassador.[3] He wrote a newspaper column for the Chinese Communist Party-owned tabloid Global Times.[4] His appointment as goodwill ambassador to the World Health Organization attracted attention due to his role in presenting forced confessions while working for Chinese state-run broadcaster CGTN.[2][5]

Early life and education

Chau is from West London.[6] His father was born in Hong Kong, while his mother is from Sumatra, Indonesia.[7] Chau attended the City of London School.[8] He also took piano lessons at the Royal Academy of Music. At age 16, Chau got into a car accident and was hospitalised, after which he quit piano.[6] He went on to study at King's College London and St Edmund's College, Cambridge, where he was Varsity News Features Editor.[9]

Career

Television

After graduating from Cambridge, and interning at Vogue and Mirror Group Newspapers,[10] he moved to Hong Kong for his first newsroom position. From 2001 he was a reporter and later an anchor at TVB Pearl.[11] Chau joined China Central Television in 2004,[12] where he featured as a main presenter on the 24-hour CCTV News English-language station. Since April 2010, he also co-fronted the channel's flagship China 24 show.[13]

UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador

In August 2009, the United Nations announced his appointment as its first UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador on the Chinese Mainland.[14]

China Current

The China Current is a storytelling platform hosted by Chau and containing news, articles, interviews, videos, and podcasts[15] — for global stories on health, nature, innovation, and culture. This platform is supported by China-United States Exchange Foundation.[15]

See also

References

  1. "About". James Chau. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  2. "WHO reviews China-based news anchor's global ambassador role". Financial Times. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  3. "Partnerships Department". Unaids.org. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  4. "Ethics complaint to World Health Organization (WHO)" (PDF). Safeguard Defenders. 26 February 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  5. Nuttall, Jeremy (29 May 2020). "He says Chinese authorities forced a confession out of him. Now he wants the WHO to fire the man who presented it on TV". Toronto Star. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  6. Wall, Jon (2 January 2020). "Broadcaster James Chau on His Dual Identity and Self Discovery". Prestige. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  7. "I Am Broadcasting From China - All about China | Radio86.com". Lt.radio86.com. 19 October 2011. Archived from the original on 12 December 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  8. Archived 5 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  9. "CCTV reporter James Chau in UN Millennium summit – Interview Video". Archived from the original on 23 October 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  10. "SH Magazine: Shanghai restaurants, events and nightlife | SH Magazine Online". Shmag.cn. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  11. "CCTV-English Channel-James Chau". Cctv.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  12. "jameschau2004". 8 June 2006. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  13. "China Central Television". English.cntv.cn. Archived from the original on 4 November 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  14. "CCTV news anchor James Chau nominated "UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador" CCTV-International". Cctv.com. 14 August 2009. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  15. "About Us". China-United States Exchange Foundation. Retrieved 24 June 2022.