James Chau
British journalist and TV presenter (born 1977)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Chau (Chinese: 周柳建成١-.. Zhōuliǔ Jiànchéng[citation needed]; 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]