I am a Chinese human rights and democracy researcher and advocate. Currently, I am the Director for China Research at Freedom House, leading the organization’s research on human rights issues within China and the Chinese government’s global influence. Before that, I was a Senior China Researcher at Human Rights Watch, and Asia researcher at the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The issues I have worked on include internet freedom, the protection of human rights defenders, women’s rights and minority rights in China. I have also written extensively on the Chinese government’s efforts to undermine democratic norms globally, including through transnational repression, encroachment on the UN human rights system, and the export of surveillance.

Besides research, I conduct advocacy with government officials and elected politicians, trying to get laws and policies adopted that address Beijing’s human rights violations. I also work with other Chinese, Hong Kong, Uyghur and Tibetan groups to build a coalition of advancing freedom and democracy in Greater China.

I have testified before US Congress a number of times, including at Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Rules Committee, and the Australian Parliament. I am frequently quoted by major news outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian, and have appeared on CNN, BBC and others. I was named one of the “emerging leaders in the Asia Pacific region” by the Obama Foundation in 2019.

I was born and grew up in a village in southeast China. It’s my lifelong commitment to a free and democratic China — and world.