Bill Ide
From 2012, Bill Ide has served as VOA’s Beijing Bureau Chief. Based in China's capital, he has had a front row seat in covering some of the most dramatic shifts and changes in the country's politics and economy in decades. He covered the rise of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the slowing of the world's second largest economy and its growing competition with the United States in tech and other fields. As the Chinese economy quickly shifted gears during that time, away from double digit growth to a much slower pace, he traveled around the country to learn more about the impact that was having. He has written frequently about the shifting dynamics of Beijing’s relations with its neighbors, be it tensions in the South China Sea or the impact of China’s “Belt and Road Project.” He is also a close watcher of China’s media environment and issues such as freedom of expression, censorship, religion and rule of law.
Bill began his career as a journalist in Taiwan. He arrived in Taipei in 1996, shortly after Taiwan’s first direct presidential elections. There, he covered a rich range of stories, writing frequently about the island’s legislature, national security, environmental advocacy and other social topics.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese language and literature from Brigham Young University and an Advanced Studies degree from Fudan University in Shanghai, China.
