John Ruwitch
John Ruwitch is a correspondent with NPR's international desk. He covers Chinese affairs.
Ruwitch joined NPR in early 2020, and has since chronicled the tectonic shift in America's relations with China, from hopeful engagement to suspicion-fueled competition. He's also reported on a range of other issues, including Beijing's pressure campaign on Taiwan, Hong Kong's National Security Law, Asian-Americans considering guns for self-defense in the face of rising violence and a herd of elephants roaming in the Chinese countryside in search of a home.
Ruwitch joined NPR after more than 19 years with Reuters in Asia, the last eight of which were in Shanghai. There, he first covered a broad beat that took him as far afield as the China-North Korea border and the edge of the South China Sea. Later, he led a team that covered business and financial markets in the world's second biggest economy. Ruwitch has also had postings in Hanoi, Hong Kong and Beijing, reporting on anti-corruption campaigns, elite Communist politics, labor disputes, human rights, currency devaluations, earthquakes, snowstorms, Olympic badminton and everything in between.
Ruwitch studied history at U.C. Santa Cruz and got a master's in Regional Studies East Asia from Harvard. He speaks Mandarin and Vietnamese. [Copyright 2025 NPR]
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The president's highly unusual announcement underscores the Trump administration's desire to take control over U.S. businesses. -
The president said that Nvidia would pay the government in exchange for easing export restrictions — and that he'd initially asked for a larger cut. -
While many factors often drive traffic fluctuations, publishers say the introduction of Google's AI Overviews has led to dramatic declines for news outlets and other online information sources. -
The Trump administration's stiff tariffs on Chinese imports are prompting economists to lower their forecasts for economic growth in China. A trade fair in the city of Guangzhou is feeling the impact. -
In Hong Kong, long after the protest movement that kicked off five years ago fizzled out, a quiet tussle is playing out over the fate of businesses that once supported the ideals of the demonstrators.
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Five years after mass protests disrupted Hong Kong, and were crushed by the government, people who took part are downsizing their dreams and ambitions — but keeping a small flame of hope alive. -
Five years after mass protests disrupted Hong Kong, and were crushed by the government, people who took part are downsizing their dreams and ambitions -- but keeping a small flame of hope alive.
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Some scientists worry the possibility the coronavirus escaped from research facilities hasn't gotten enough scrutiny. Others say it appears far more likely to have emerged naturally. -
The new rules reduce the maximum validity of U.S. business and tourist visas held by party members and their families from 10 years to one month. China calls the action part of a "Cold War mentality." -
He is one of the last major world leaders to wish Joe Biden congratulations.
