James has spent 16 of the last 28 years living and working in China, first as a journalist for the Reuters news agency, then for the FT as China bureau chief from 1998-2005. After that he headed up the Pearson group of companies in the People's Republic until 2008.
His award-winning book China Shakes the World, published in 2006, was an international bestseller translated into 19 languages.
From 2008 – Principle of China Confidential, a research service on China at the Financial Times.