Vicky Xu

Vicky Xu (; born 1994), previously known as Vicky Xiuzhong Xu , is a China-born Australian journalist and writer. She is known for her investigative journalism on human rights in China, particularly for her 2020 report, Uyghurs for Sale, which examined state-sponsored Uyghur forced labor affecting global supply chains. The report has been cited by various media outlets, legislators, and legal authorities in Australia, the United States, and Europe.

Xu has served as a Senior Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and previously worked as a journalist for The New York Times. She regularly appears on international television and radio as a China expert and commentator. In 2020, Xu participated in a rare debate on Australian national television with Xining Wang, then Deputy Head of Mission at the Chinese Embassy in Australia. This debate marked the first recorded live exchange between a senior Chinese government representative and a Chinese citizen. Xu has since renounced her Chinese citizenship.

In 2021, the Chinese government initiated a transnational repression campaign against Xu, involving the prolonged interrogation of a close friend, and a propaganda campaign. Chinese state media referred to her as a “race traitor” and a "witch". In 2023, Xu revealed during an Australian parliamentary inquiry that the state persecution had damaged her connections with family and friends in China. In 2024, she disclosed to the media that she had moved to Taipei and taken up mixed martial arts.

Xu ranked first in her city on the high school entrance exam and earned a bronze medal in Gansu Province's Olympiad mathematics competition.

During a 2014 gap year, Xu taught Mandarin at a high school in Perth, Australia. While there, she encountered Mike Chinoy's documentary on the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, a subject censored in China. This revelation prompted her to reevaluate her previous views on Chinese politics. She also completed a six-month exchange semester at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she interned at the Truman Institute. and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. business, human rights issues, Australian current affairs, and global supply chains''

In addition to her journalism career, Xu has performed stand-up comedy. In 2019, she collaborated with The Chaser comedy group to sell out a show in Sydney. Xu has also appeared on comedy skits produced by Australia's national broadcaster ABC.

Chinese state persecution

By 2019, Xu and her family faced harassment and threats due to her journalism.

By June 2024, Xu had relocated to Taipei and reported ongoing surveillance and intimidation by Chinese security forces. She also changed her name from Xu Xiuzhong to Xu Weiqi and took up training and competing in mixed martial arts in Taiwan.

In July 2024, the Australian Federal Police reported to the Senate that they had thwarted a foreign intelligence plot targeting Xu and activist Drew Pavlou, who were considered "potential targets of violence."