Edward Wong, a diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times, talks about the epic story in his new book: his father’s years posted along China’s frontiers when he was a soldier in the Chinese army under Mao; and his own journey charting China’s acceleration into hard authoritarian rule under Xi Jinping, the current leader. Those dual narratives give us insight into the direction of China and US-China ties, the most consequential relationship of the 21st century. At the Edge of Empire was chosen by The Washington Post as one of the best non-fiction books of 2024 and has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, NPR and BBC, and in The New York Times.
Who: Edward Wong, Award Winning Journalist, Author
When: Tuesday February 18, 2025 – 6:00pm Presentation
Where: RJ Julia Booksellers, Madison, CT
About the Speaker:
Edward Wong reports on diplomacy and foreign policy for The New York Times from Washington, DC. He has worked for the Times for more than 25 years, 13 of those as a correspondent and bureau chief in Iraq and China. He received a Livingston Award for his coverage of the Iraq War and was on a team of Pulitzer Prize finalists. He was awarded the Edward Weintal Prize from Georgetown University for diplomatic reporting and received an honorary doctorate from Middlebury Language Schools after the publication of his book.
Edward has reported from a cruise in North Korea, a walk through the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan, and the final trans-Atlantic flight of the Concorde. He often travels with the U.S. secretary of state to cover diplomatic trips.
He has been a Nieman Fellow at Harvard and done fellowships at the Belfer Center of Harvard Kennedy School and the Wilson Center in Washington. He has taught international reporting as a visiting professor at Princeton and at the University of California at Berkeley, where he serves on the advisory board of the graduate school of journalism. Edward graduated from the University of Virginia and has joint master’s degrees from U.C. Berkeley.
Learn more about Edward here:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/602734/at-the-edge-of-empire-by-edward-wong/