26-year Post veteran reflects on career as a journalist, reporting on China, and why he wants to return to Hong Kong
- After 26 years with the Post, it’s time for a break, and a return to Hong Kong
- Wang Xiangwei has held many roles – from business reporter to editor-in-chief and editorial adviser, but is now taking a well-deserved break
I cannot think of a more fitting description to summarise my life’s work as I have decided to move on from the hustle and bustle of reporting and writing for 33 years. I am leaving the South China Morning Post, a newspaper I have worked at and loved for more than 26 years.
In 2012, I became the Post’s Editor-In-Chief and held the position until the end of 2015, when I relocated to Beijing to be closer to my family and remained as an editorial adviser.
That means the Post must cover China from an insider’s perspective. Its understanding and reporting of China comes from the fact that it is part of the country, but does not report to Beijing.
Social media and digital platforms have transformed journalism. From day one as Editor-in-Chief, I set about reforming and revamping newsroom operations to lay the foundation to transform the Post from a traditional print-centred publisher to a thriving digital media platform with a global reach.
When I first took over the newsroom, more than 80 per cent of online traffic came from print subscribers in Hong Kong. Now, that number has flipped the other way, with a majority of online traffic coming from overseas, while our subscriber base in Hong Kong has also grown substantially.
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During meetings with Kuok, I learned and benefited from his wisdom. An avid reader of the Post from cover to cover, Kuok once told me that the way one certain story was written ruined his appetite for breakfast, but when pressed for details he just smiled and declined to say more.
Still, as a news junkie, nothing gives me more thrill and excitement than chasing story leads, breaking stories, and producing impactful commentaries.
Working for the Post has over the years afforded me a front-row seat to chronicle and comment on the tremendous changes China has undergone, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The ease with which he has secured an unprecedented third term as party leader makes it certain that he intends to rule the country at least for the next 10 years.
In his keynote speech to the 20th congress, he doubled down on his grand vision to build China into a modern country and promised to further tighten the Communist Party’s controls over society and economy.
He mentioned the word “security” far more times than the word “economy” as China was faced with the worst international environment in decades amid rising confrontation with the United States.
He issued dark warnings of looming threats including external attempts to suppress and contain China, without explicitly mentioning the US or the West.
While stressing self-reliance and self-sufficiency, Xi promised to continue China’s high-level opening up to foreign investment and foreign input.
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As Xi strengthens authoritarian controls and emphasises loyalty and confidentiality, China’s politics and policymaking process, opaque in nature, have become even more impenetrable.
Paradoxically, this should give the Post more growth opportunities. At a time like this, demand for credible, authoritative and insightful information on China – one of the greatest stories in modern times – has never been more critical.
When I was based in Hong Kong where information flow was unimpeded, I always appreciated and valued the vantage point the city could offer a journalist. After six years in Beijing where media is muzzled, dissent is silenced, and officials invariably start their speeches by praising Xi first, my appreciation of Hong Kong’s unique advantages has grown much deeper.
Droves of people have decamped amid prevailing pessimism that Hong Kong’s role and standing will most likely fade further, and that it will become “just another Chinese city”.
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I disagree. Hong Kong has stumbled for sure but it will bounce back as before. At a time when China is turning distinctly inward, Hong Kong’s role as the bridge through which the outside world engages with the Chinese mainland is getting bigger.
For the moment, people focus too much on the negatives and not enough on the positives. Hong Kong’s rule of law, its capitalist way of life, its clean governance, free flow of information, and its high quality professional services do matter. All these advantages have not changed, which makes it distinctly different from the mainland Chinese cities.
That is why I have decided to return to Hong Kong to pursue a new chapter of the good life. I am ready to try the next good thing I love – journalism education.
Wang Xiangwei is a former editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post.