Interview: On-air in the Covid era
Hear from CNBC International's Samantha Vadas
After months of social distancing and lockdown measures, you may have forgotten what regular live TV programming should look like. It's now become perfectly normal to judge the interiors of journalists' homes or chuckle when their pets interrupt them. But even though audiences have accepted these changes, how are the personalities in front of the camera dealing with this unprecedented disruption?
I posed that question to Samantha Vadas, CNBC International's China correspondent, who joined the network in May [full disclosure: Sam and I are former Reuters colleagues]. Here's what she had to say.
Q. Due to current circumstances, you've been reporting live from your mum's living room in Sydney. Has it been a surreal experience?
To say the very least! As I recently noted in an Instagram post, it’s certainly a weird twist of fate to be reporting to the world from the same room where I studied for my school exams in the hopes of getting into university to become a professional journalist! I also joked about receiving more compliments on Mum’s décor than my coverage of Chinese macroeconomics - but it’s true, she’s quite the interior designer!
All joking aside, it’s been a completely bizarre experience starting a new job remotely, and incredibly tough trying to legitimise why you’re breaking China’s PMI data from your living room in Sydney. But the viewers are forgiving and the CNBC team is so supportive. While I do look forward to getting back to Beijing and having colleagues and working in a proper studio, I’ll miss wearing PJ bottoms and slippers on the job.
Q. As a full-time China watcher, what do you think are the key points or factors that people outside the country don't quite understand about society there?
Last year, I covered the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Despite it being a city-wide logistical nightmare (we were kicked out of the Reuters office for a week and even had our desk cutlery confiscated), you could sense that immense patriotism filled the air. Every street corner was transformed into a spectacular artistic display and queues of people lined up in front of the installations to flash the peace sign for photos.
I interviewed a 12 year-old girl who had been selected to take part in the big parade - an enormous honour in China. Sadly, she had to pull out of the celebrations due to illness, leaving her family heartbroken. On the day itself, residents ran out of their homes to watch the tanks rumble through the streets of central Beijing while waving flags with proud tears rolling down their faces. I’d never seen a show of political loyalty and national zeal quite like that before.
Q. There's no shortage of compelling stories when it comes to China. What topics in particular are you excited to sink your teeth into this year?
The tech war (not just over Huawei) between the US and China is going to be an interesting one, particularly as Trump’s battle against Beijing isn't letting up. I think this will only accelerate China’s goal to become dominant as well as self-sufficient in developing innovative products. In fact, the country's benchmark index, the Shanghai Composite, is being revamped to include more high-tech companies. At the same time, the Nasdaq is considering tightening rules around listings, which is widely seen as a move aimed at giant Chinese enterprises. So watch this space.
Q. Aside from the main political and economic headlines, can you share an offbeat or quirky story you've covered that reveals a different side of China?
There are some super fit old people!
You can follow Samantha on Twitter (@sam_vadas) and catch her on CNBC International most weekdays.