Ting Shi is a government reporter covering China for Bloomberg. She is based in Hong Kong.
In Depth spoke with Ting to discuss her experience reporting on China and its journey as a rising power.
How did you get into news reporting and over time, focus on China and its growing global influence?
I was an economics major in university, but switched to journalism at graduate school. In the words of the great Henry Luce: “I became a journalist to come as close as possible to the heart of the world.” And China is one of the hottest and the biggest unfolding stories of our generation. That’s why I wanted to return to Asia.
Has your varied background in reporting given you the opportunity to view China from the outside looking in?
Yes. I worked for China’s official news agency, an American magazine and a Hong Kong newspaper — those were valuable experiences that made me able to view China from different perspectives. Reporting China from outside the country can be a benefit for a Chinese native: as a Chinese saying goes, “You can’t see the mountains because you’re in the mountains.” The outsider’s position can give the observer a much-needed distance and balance in the story-telling.
There are often international implications to China’s rise as a global power. Tell us how you collaborate with other Bloomberg bureaus across the globe to get your story told in an accurate and holistic way.
Since I started here, I worked with colleagues from Seoul, Tokyo, Hanoi and Washington, D.C., to write stories that provide a fuller context. For example, when a senior Chinese official makes a remark about the Sino-US relations, in order to read between the lines, I’d seek interpretation from both Chinese and US analysts and bounce them back to my US colleagues for further reaction. This really helps me to keep the story balanced.
Do many people understand China’s complex relationships with its neighbors in Asia? Why is understanding China a challenge to even the most seasoned reporters in the region?
After covering China for more than a decade, I have to say China still surprises me day to day. One reason is that it’s a vast subject that undergoes seismic changes in every aspect. The ground just keeps shifting, even at moments you think you understand it. I think that’s probably the main challenge, and also the leading appeal, of covering China. Your presumption and prior knowledge about the country is constantly challenged.
Have there been any stories at Bloomberg you have been particularly proud of?
I like the story where I collaborated with two colleagues about the lengths it took to bring down China’s former security chief during a recent anti-corruption drive. The story was very Sherlock Holmes in the way it came together, with careful piecing together of investigations, meticulous fact-checking and rounds of late night (and early morning) calls!