James Chau is a main anchor on CCTV News - bringing headlines, analysis, and breaking stories to 85 million viewers internationally. James reported on the 9/11 attacks and the Asian tsunami, and has interviewed world figures ranging from Ban Ki-moon and Robert Mugabe, to Madam Peng Liyuan and Diane von Furstenberg. James’ most recent television specials have featured Elton John, Annie Lennox, and the Crown Princess of Norway. He was photographed by David Bailey for Vanity Fair, appearing in the 2012 Hollywood Issue with Nobel laureates Muhammad Yunus and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

James Chau is the first Chinese person to be appointed a UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador. James began his partnership with the United Nations in 2009 and uses his influence to promote critical knowledge and raise awareness on the HIV epidemic. James’ personal focus areas are youth, women and people who inject drugs. He travels worldwide with UNAIDS to community projects and political meetings, while sharing his experiences and key public health messages through television and social media. As of January 2013, he has 1.3 million followers on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

A frequent public speaker, James has moderated sessions at major events including the World Economic Forum, the UN General Assembly, and the Rio+20 Earth Summit. In this capacity he worked with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy, and South African leader Kglame Motlanthe. Meanwhile, as a journalist, he covered the Mexican G20 Summit, the Doha Climate Change Conference, and fronted a live broadcast in London for the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

James is a recipient of a U.S. National Press Foundation Fellowship. He is a Google Young Leader and a Freeman of the City of London. Born to Chinese parents from Indonesia and Hong Kong, he studied piano in England at the Royal Academy of Music and graduated from Cambridge University, where he was News Features Editor at the student paper. He began his newsroom career at TVB Hong Kong. Early foreign assignments were the White House talks with Presidents George W. Bush and Hu Jintao, and the WTO Ministerial Meeting where China joined the global trading bloc.