Providing a unique perspective on China's impact on the world from within China

David Rennie is a senior columnist with The Economist, based in Beijing. He writes the newspaper's China column, Chaguan, as well as covers related issues in the region, including North Korea, China's Belt and Road Initiative, and key global affairs as they relate to China.

His career at The Economist has seen him report on the European Union from Brussels, on British politics from London, on US politics from Washington DC and now in Beiing where he launched the Chaguan column in September 2018. As an international journalist, he has interviewed numerous prime ministers, political leaders, military commanders and CEOs. One notable achievement was becoming one of the few reporters to have interviewed Donald Trump -- twice as a presidential candidate, once as President. David is a frequent guest on radio and television news programmes. He won the 2010 UACES/Thomson Reuters "Reporting Europe" award.

David has held several other editorial roles with The Economist's including Washington Bureau Chief, Lexington columnist, Political Editor, Bagehot columnist, European Union correspondent and Charlemagne columnist. He held earlier editorial roles with the Daily Telegraph in Sydney, Beijing, Washington DC and Brussels and also with the Spectator magazine and the Evening Standard. He graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in English.

David presents to conferences and business meeting on a wide range to economic or geopolitical topics facing the world, now with a specific focus on China and its role in the global landscape. He has given classes and public lectures on EU affairs at the universities of Harvard and Boston in America, Bristol University in Britain and at the business schools ESCP (Paris) and IE (Madrid).

Speaking topics:

• China and the Global Economy: After a decade of experience of covering America and Europe, his present role as Beijing Bureau Chief provides as unique perspective on China's growing geopolitical might, on the leadership of President Xi Jinping, and the ambitions behind mega-projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative. He offers a perspective from within China on the big global trends that are shaping the future of the world.
• Populism: From his previous role in Washington, he shares the dispassionate view of an independent commentator on the rise of Donald Trump and the wave of populism. His perspectives are also shaped by travelling the breadth of the USA to report on American politics, society and its culture. He also draws important correlations with European politics. He observes a pattern where countries embracing rapid change and globalization find that parts of their populations become vulnerable to the "politics of loss", of being left behind and living within a world which feels increasingly foreign to them. David Rennie explains how Trump's promises will affect geopolitical relationships and the international economy, beyond the USA and what we can now expect as Trump's presidency continues.