Liu Hongqiao

Hongqiao Liu is a Paris-based independent consultant and award-winning journalist who has been tracking China’s environmental crisis and decarbonisation since 2010. Born and raised in China, Hongqiao is committed to bringing evidence, nuances, and context to the heated debate over China’s role in the climate crisis. Between 2010 and 2014, she published a series of groundbreaking investigations at prestigious Chinese newsdesks Southern Metropolis Daily and Caixin Media, triggering national policy reforms and continuous nationwide civil society movements seeking transparency and accountability on the environment and public health. Transitioning from journalism in 2014, she has led several cross-sectoral initiatives and collaborated with dozens of influential international media, think tanks, and civil society organisations to address the environmental, energy, and climate challenges arising from China’s emergence. In 2021, following China’s unprecedented climate pledge, Hongqiao resumed journalism and helped London-based Carbon Brief to launch a China desk. A year later, she launched Shuang Tan, a policy intelligence start-up that fosters informed decision-making about the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter in the international climate, policy and journalism communities. Hongqiao is a two-time TED speaker, and Vox recognised her as a “visionary change agent”. She is an alumna of Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs and an incoming fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. She is also a visiting fellow at Wits University (2013), EurekAlert!-AAAS Science Journalist Fellow (2014), and Raisina Young Fellow (2022). She is fluent in Mandarin, English and French.