Vicky Xu
I’m a writer and investigator focused on authoritarian governance. A former New York Times journalist, my work has been cited by the United Nations and has informed legislation in several countries.I specialise in open-source investigations and alternative data analysis. My 2020 report Uyghurs for Sale used novel open source methods to map forced-labour supply chains involving 83 multinationals, including Nike and Apple.More recently, I've worked on geopolitical risk assessments for investors and organizations, built a fictional apartheid state for a television series, and won multiple awards in mixed martial arts.I give workshops and talks on China strategy, geopolitical and human-rights risk, open-source research, and personal safety and privacy.For inquiries or collaboration, contact me by email.
Research and consulting
In my current role, I lead a small team with strong access to Chinese-language sources and datasets. We integrate primary material, data analysis, and satellite imagery with open-source methods that are continuously refined. Working in volatile China-related contexts and shifting geopolitical conditions, we sustain clarity and reliability through constant adaptation that is rarely seen elsewhere. The findings are presented in the way I learned in newsrooms: rigorous, accessible, and independent.We’re always looking for new research questions that push us to think in new ways.
Journalism
I published my first piece of journalism as a university student on summer break, in The New York Times. The story investigated a flooding disaster in Hebei, China, where government mismanagement lead to severe human consequences.After freelancing for a range of outlets on geopolitics, business, and human rights, I joined The New York Times full time soon after graduating. Since then, my investigations have examined influence campaigns, technology transfers, and forced labour supply chains, among other issues.At the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, I led Uyghurs for Sale (2020) and The Architecture of Repression (2021) -- both regarding mass human rights violations in northwest China. This body of work has been cited in the UN’s Xinjiang report, informed legislation in the U.S., UK, and Australia, and dozens of media outlets. Both reports remain reference points in human rights and supply chain compliance.These projects broke ground by applying methods rarely used in an environment that was growing increasingly opaque. When direct access to Xinjiang was cut off, my team turned to satellite imagery. When records were removed from the internet, we recovered them. When companies concealed supply chains, we developed techniques to trace them. The capacity to innovate under constraint continues to define my research practice.
Creative
I began performing stand-up comedy in Sydney in 2018, developing a style that mixed confessional and absurdist humor with the more difficult parts of geopolitics and personal experience. In 2019 I headlined The Chaser Lecture, a high-profile annual event by one of Australia’s most prominent satire groups, staged at the University of Sydney. Since then I’ve performed across clubs and on television, and consulted in writers’ rooms for TV and film.Alongside comedy, I’ve been writing a memoir. First commissioned in 2021, the book has gone through many drafts, but I continue to refine it with the aim of creating something both honest and inventive.I also practice martial arts and won gold in the women’s 54kg Muay Thai division at a 2024 national tournament in Taiwan (amateur).
Social media
My main social platform has been Substack. In 2025 and 2026 I plan to publish there more regularly. Subscribe to stay updated!https://substack.com/@vickyxuI also use X, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Please feel free to connect with me on whichever platform you find most convenient.