He is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and specialises in business and economy news from the Asia-Pacific region. John has previously worked at the Korea Herald, Yonhap News and the South China Morning Post, and has contributed to many news outlets around the world. John was runner-up for the Best Scoop award at the 2019 Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Awards for his story for the South China Morning Post about just how close a Chinese vessel came to a US warship in the South China Sea. He has also broken stories about how red tape stymied cooperation between US and Chinese scientists during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how a US governor personally appealed to Chinese President Xi Jinping for medical supplies following Beijing’s tightening of export controls.