Vicky Xu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In this Chinese name, the family name is Xu 许.
Vicky Xu
许秀中
Born1994 (age 29–30)
Jiayuguan City, Gansu, China
Occupation(s)Journalist, Policy Analyst
Academic background
Alma mater
Academic work
InstitutionsAustralian Strategic Policy Institute
Main interestsHuman rights in China
Notable worksUyghurs for Sale (2020)

Vicky Xiuzhong Xu (Chinese: 许秀中; pinyin: Xǔ Xiùzhōng; born 1994[1]) is a China-born Australian journalist and writer. She is best known for investigative work on human rights abuses in China.[2][3][4][5] During and after college, she wrote for the New York Times from Beijing, Melbourne, and Sydney.[6] In 2020, Xu authored the report, Uyghurs for Sale, stating many Uyghurs from Xinjiang had been moved to China proper for forced labour.[7][2] This report was widely read and cited by media outlets, legislations and prosecutors in Australia, the US and Europe.[8][9][10][11][12]

Xu regularly appears on Australian television and radio, primarily in her capacity as a China expert and commentator.[13] In 2020 she debated with Xining Wang, China's then Deputy Head of Mission at the Chinese Embassy in Australia on Australian national television, marking the first and only recorded live debate between a senior Chinese government representative and a PRC citizen. (Xu has since relinquished her Chinese citizenship.)[14][15]

Around April 2021 the Chinese government launched an unprecedented campaign of transnational repression against Xu, which included the interrogation and detention of her close friend,[16] rolling media coverage in the Chinese language accusing Xu of "treason", drug consumption, and promiscuity.[17] Some articles referred to Xu as a "demon".[18] During an Australian parliamentary hearing in 2023, Xu revealed that the campaign had cost her relationship with family and friends in China, and that the "sheer quantity" of threats and hate messages rendered her "powerless" for a period of time.[19]

Early life[edit]

Xu was born in Jiayuguan City, Gansu Province, China.[2]

Education in China[edit]

Xu's high school is No. 3 Middle School of Jiuquan Iron and Steel Company(嘉峪关市酒钢三中).[20] In 2012, Xu entered the Communication University of China in Beijing.[2][21] In a gap year in 2014, Xu travelled to Perth, teaching Mandarin at a suburban high school. At this point she was a CCP supporter.[22] However, she began to question her views on Chinese politics after watching former CNN correspondent Mike Chinoy's documentary about reporting on the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre.[2][23]

Study in Melbourne and Jerusalem[edit]

Abandoning her studies in Beijing, Xu became an undergraduate in Political Science at the University of Melbourne with an exchange semester at Harry S. Truman Research Institute.[24] At this time, Xu was openly supportive of the CCP.[2][25] However, after interviewing a Chinese dissident, Wu Lebao, for an assignment, Xu began to review her previous positions.[2]

Career[edit]

Xu appearing on ABC's Q+A in 2021

After leaving China, Xu has worked as a journalist for Australian and US media, and performed stand-up comedy. More recently, she has served as a policy analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.[2][3][4]

Journalist, comedian, analyst[edit]

During her studies, Xu wrote as a freelancer for The New York Times in Beijing[26] and Sydney.[27][28]

After her graduation in 2018, Xu worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), The New York Times and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.[29][3][4][5] Xu's reports have covered such topics as Australia–China relations, human rights abuses in China, and Australia's diaspora communities.[30][31]

Parallel to a successful career in investigative journalism, Xu moonlighted as a stand-up comedian in Sydney, working alongside prominent groups such as The Chaser and appearing on skits produced by the national broadcaster ABC.[32][33]

On a TV panel discussion in February 2020, Xu debated Wang Xining, the deputy head of China’s embassy in Australia[34] over China's treatment of Uyghurs.[35][36] In March, as the lead author on the report Uyghurs for Sale, Xu documented evidence showing that Chinese authorities were displacing Uyghur people from Xinjiang to other regions in China, then using them as forced labor, often to manufacture goods for global brands such as Adidas, Apple, BMW and Nike.[7][2] The report became a basis for statements by US government agencies, along with European and Canadian universities, against Chinese mistreatment of ethnic and religious minorities.[37][38][39] Xu has criticised the Australian government for not recognizing the Uyghur human rights crisis as genocide.[40] She has also been critical of some China hawks, such as Sharri Markson for basing their views of China and the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic on conspiracy theories.[41]

Targeting and harassment[edit]

By 2019, Xu and her family were being actively harassed, with calls for her father, from whom she is now estranged, to be "punished" with exile on account of his daughter's views.[5] When visiting her dying grandmother, she was warned not to return to China. In 2021, a four-part exposé about her private life was created.[42]

In April 2021, during a nation-wide smear campaign, the Chinese state media called her a traitor, a pawn controlled by the West, or a “female demon.”[43] Queries for her name turn up thousands of results, including videos claiming to reveal details of her dating life, calling her “promiscuous” and “drug infested.” Internet users in China made death threats and called for her family to be tracked down.[44] On an Australian news panel, Xu disclosed that harassment has extended beyond her, that: "people close to me who still live in China have been targeted by Chinese intelligence operatives. People close to me have been interrogated repeatedly and detained. They're paying a price for me to tell the truth here."[40]

By 2024, Xu disclosed she had been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of persecution by the Chinese security apparatus; frequently being followed, and her home under Chinese surveillance.[45]

In January 2021, Allen & Unwin announced plans to publish Xu's upcoming memoir, You're So Brave.[46]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "移居海外又反华的许秀中，不过是颗棋子而已". 中国日报 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Vicky thought the Tiananmen Square massacre was fake. Then her world changed". www.abc.net.au. 8 March 2020. Archived from the original on 8 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Vicky Xiuzhong Xu". Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Vicky Xiuzhong Xu". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Bonyhady, Nick (6 September 2019). "Outspoken journalist in Australia and father in China harassed online". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Vicky Xiuzhong Xu - The New York Times". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Uyghurs for sale". Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Archived from the original on 24 August 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  8. ^ Fifield, Anna (29 February 2020). "China compels Uighurs to work in shoe factory that supplies Nike". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  9. ^ Dobell, Graeme (10 October 2021). "ASPI's decades: 'Uyghurs for sale'". The Strategist. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Fashion Retailers Face Inquiry Over Suspected Ties to Forced Labor in China (Published 2021)". 2 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  11. ^ China & Uighurs: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO), retrieved 28 July 2023
  12. ^ "McCaul Statement on 'Uyghurs for Sale' Report". Committee on Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  13. ^ "The personal cost of exposing human rights issues | Vicky Xu on Australian Story | Now living in Australia, the Chinese journalist who exposed "modern slavery" in big-brand factories in China has been told it's not safe for her to... | By ABC TV + iview - Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  14. ^ Australia and China: A Healthy Relationship? | Q+A (Reupload), retrieved 28 July 2023
  15. ^ McGowan, Michael (24 February 2020). "Q&A: Chinese diplomat grilled over Uighurs and coronavirus response". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  16. ^ "China's intimidation tactics laid bare in accusations by Q+A panellist Vicky Xu". ABC News. 15 April 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  17. ^ Kuo, Lily; Shih, Gerry (7 April 2021). "China researchers face abuse, sanctions as Beijing looks to silence critics". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  18. ^ "一个售卖肉体和灵魂的人——澳大利亚反华女妖许秀中|美国|澳洲_网易订阅". 27 July 2023. Archived from the original on 27 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  19. ^ Hannaford, Patrick (21 April 2023). "China's extraordinary harassment of Australian citizens revealed". skynews. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  20. ^ "—致青春（嘉峪关市酒钢三中）". v.youku.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  21. ^ "26岁华裔姑娘许秀中揭露"新疆棉" 被内地媒体攻击". 时刻新闻. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  22. ^ When Worlds Collide | Vicky Xu, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 5 March 2020, archived from the original on 8 May 2021, retrieved 9 April 2021
  23. ^ "Public Event with Mike Chinoy, former CNN Beijing Bureau Chief". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  24. ^ "Vicky Xiuzhong Xu". ASPI. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  25. ^ "When is name-calling good? If it raises awareness of Xinjiang cotton and abuses, says Australian-Chinese ｜ Apple Daily". Apple Daily 蘋果日報 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 7 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  26. ^ Xu, Vicky (8 August 2016). "Sneaking Into a Chinese Village Where Floodwater and Unrest Linger". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  27. ^ Cave, Damien (21 September 2017). "The New York Times in Australia? Yes. Here's Why". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 19 March 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  28. ^ Tarabay, Jamie (15 May 2019). "Bill Shorten Wants Australia to Embrace China. But at What Cost?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 28 December 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  29. ^ "Vicky thought the Tiananmen Square massacre was fake. Then her world changed". ABC News. 8 March 2020. Archived from the original on 31 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  30. ^ Xu, Vicky; Xiao, Bang (20 April 2018). "What is the Falun Gong movement and does China really harvest organs?". ABC News. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  31. ^ Xu, Vicky Xiuzhong (19 August 2019). "Blinkered Chinese nationalists are trolling me - but once I was one of them". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  32. ^ Xu, Vicky Xiuzhong (19 August 2019). "Blinkered Chinese nationalists are trolling me - but once I was one of them". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  33. ^ "The best and the worst of Lunar New Year | Comedians Vicky Xu and Michael Hing talk us through their Lunar New Year traditions. How does your family celebrate? | By ABC Sydney | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  34. ^ "Q&A: Chinese diplomat grilled over Uighurs and coronavirus response". the Guardian. 24 February 2020. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  35. ^ Bonyhady, Nick (24 February 2020). "Chinese embassy official faces hard questions on Q+A". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  36. ^ "Subscribe to The Australian | Newspaper home delivery, website, iPad, iPhone & Android apps". www.theaustralian.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  37. ^ "Against Their Will: The Situation in Xinjiang | U.S. Department of Labor". www.dol.gov. Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  38. ^ "Uyghur forced labour: Who will take a stand?". leidenlawblog.nl. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  39. ^ Glavin, Terry (27 July 2020). "Will Canada stand with Uyghurs—and against 'modern slavery?'". Macleans.ca. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  40. ^ a b "China's intimidation tactics laid bare in accusations by Q+A panellist Vicky Xu". www.abc.net.au. 15 April 2021. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  41. ^ "Contentious COVID-19 bioweapon book has familiar researcher". Australian Financial Review. 11 May 2021. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  42. ^ Whinnet, Ellen (16 January 2021). "Vicky Xu Embarrassed China by Exposing Human Rights Abuses Here's How They Hit Back". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  43. ^ "Harassment and Sanctions Aimed at Uyghurs and Xinjiang Researchers". China Digital Times. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  44. ^ Kuo, Lily; Shih, Gerry (7 April 2021). "China researchers face abuse, sanctions as Beijing looks to silence critics". Washington Post. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  45. ^ Xu, Vicky (6 April 2024). "How it feels to live under surveillance by China". The Saturday Paper.
  46. ^ "A&U acquires Xu memoir 'You're So Brave'". Books+Publishing. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
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