Video

Why America’s Biggest Brands Are Failing to Keep Up in China (July 9, 2024)
Major American brands like Apple, Nike, Starbucks and McDonald’s are rapidly losing market share in China to new domestic rivals. Chinese tech company Huawei, sportswear brand Anta, Luckin Coffee and fast-food restaurant Tastien are eating away at these American brands’ market dominance. WSJ’s Jonathan Cheng explores how Chinese brands are squeezing their U.S. rivals out.
Inside a Chinese Ghost Town of Abandoned Mansions (February 19, 2024)
China’s property crisis is expected to get worse as sales of new homes plummet and indebted developers struggle to find funds to complete projects. Real estate giant Evergrande was recently forced to liquidate as more than 50 housing developers have defaulted on their debts in recent years. WSJ’s Jonathan Cheng travels to an abandoned “ghost town” in Shenyang City built by the Greenland Group to explain how China’s real-estate slump has become a headache for the government.
This Viral Mountain Village Hosts China’s Rural Version of NBA (August 14, 2023)
A grassroots basketball league in a remote part of China has the country excited for the American sport. The Village Basketball Association, or Cun BA, is played outdoors in Taipan Village located in one of China’s poorest provinces, Guizhou. These amateur games have blown up on social media, leading to a visit from NBA superstar, Jimmy Butler. WSJ’s China Bureau Chief Jonathan Cheng went to one of the biggest games of the tournament to see what’s drawing thousands of villagers to take part.
Inside the Chinese Wholesale Market Where Temu and Shein Source From (February 6, 2025)
President Trump moved to close a loophole called “de minimis” that has fueled a boom in cheap goods being shipped from China to the U.S. It’s a provision that allows any shipments under $800 to enter America tariff-free regardless of where the products come from. WSJ’s Jonathan Cheng traveled to the world’s largest wholesale market called the Yiwu International Trade Market to see how these products are making their way into U.S. markets. If you’ve ever bought anything on Temu or Shein, there’s a good chance it came from this bazaar near China’s east coast, which is close to huge ports in Shanghai and Ningbo. WSJ explores why this market in China, the center point of global wholesale trade, has found itself in the U.S. government’s crosshairs.
Search for Survivors Continues After Hong Kong High-Rise Inferno (November 28, 2025)
Hong Kong is bracing for more losses as crews search for survivors inside a charred tower complex. WSJ’s Jonathan Cheng reports from the scene.
China Has Leverage With Rare-Earth Exports: WSJ’s Jonathan Cheng On US-China Talks (June 10, 2025)
Jonathan Cheng, China Bureau Chief at The Wall Street Journal tells CNBC’s Parikshit Luthra High hopes of some announcement today Relief on rare earth magnets is US’ top demand China eyes access to semiconductor products
Jonathan Cheng: China, US and a new era of great power competition (January 16, 2023)
Wall Street Journal editor Jonathan Cheng speaks at SKAGEN Funds New Year Conference 2023.

Writing

The Wall Street Journal

I. Aheds

The Secret to Surviving Military Service: Moisturizer, Foam Cleanser, Cucumber Face Mask, August 23, 2018 (free link)

Dotards and Hooligans 101: Why Scholars Study North Korea’s Insults, December 14, 2017 (free link)

You Know What This Company Needs? More Sturm und Drang, April 10, 2017 (free link)

Duped New York Concert Audience Gives Standing Ovation to North Korean Propaganda, September 27, 2016 (free link)

Congratulations Player One, Your Zombie Boss Didn’t Fire You, August 8, 2016 (free link)

Psy-chology 101: Academics Put Spotlight on Korean Pop Culture, November 1, 2015 (free link)

As Koreans Swarm Into Mountains, Government Pleads ‘Slow Down, September 11, 2015 (free link)

Heading to the 2018 Olympic Games? Choose Your Korea Carefully, April 23, 2015 (free link)

South Korean Chain Tries to Sell Baguettes Back to the French, August 6, 2014 (free link)

Visitors to Buffalo, N.Y., Find Beauty in Decay, June 19, 2014 (free link)

II. China

In Rare Rebuke, U.S. Ambassador Accuses China of Undermining Diplomacy, June 25, 2024

Why Xi Jinping Reversed His Zero-Covid Policy in China, January 4, 2023

China Is Starting to Act Like a Global Power, March 22, 2023

Xi Jinping’s Endgame: A China Prepared for Conflict With the U.S., October 14, 2022

China Targets Another Region in Ethnic Assimilation Campaign: Tibet, July 16, 2021

As Huawei Talks Stall, Detention of Two Canadians in China Drags On, February 11, 2021

Beijing Scraps GDP Target, a Bad Sign for World Reliant on China Growth, May 22, 2020

III. North and South Korea

Even Before Trump and Kim Met, Nuclear Talks Had Run Aground, March 1, 2019

U.S., North Korea Trade Blame for Failed Summit, February 28, 2019

Trump, Kim Begin New Phase of Diplomacy, June 15, 2018

North Korea Frees Three U.S. Citizens, May 9, 2018

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and South Korean Leader to Pursue Peace Deal, Denuclearization, April 27, 2018

CIA Director Mike Pompeo Met North Korea’s Kim Jong Un to Discuss Summit, April 18, 2018

Trump Agrees to Meet North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, March 8, 2018

The Last Americans in North Korea: Christian Missionaries, March 19, 2018

Letter From North Korea: What Life Looks Like as Nuclear Crisis Mounts, September 22, 2017

North Korea Calls U.S. Furor Over Warmbier a ‘Smear Campaign’, June. 23, 2017

The Killing of Kim Jong Nam: Malaysia, North Korea Take Each Other Hostage, March 7, 2017

The Mystery of Kim Jong Nam, February 17, 2017

South Korea Impeachment of President Park Is Latest Hit to Global Political Order, December 9, 2016

A Presidential Scandal Transfixes South Korea, November 27, 2016.

In South Korea, Rivals Samsung and LG Fight Dirty Over Washing Machines, January 7, 2015

Pope’s Trip to Highlight Vibrant South Korean Church, August 13, 2014

North Korea Says Uncle of Kim Jong Un Executed, December 12, 2013

r/IAmA: I’m Jonathan Cheng, WSJ’s Korea bureau chief. I recently returned from a reporting trip to North Korea. AMA!