Mika Hentunen on China's rise — and other stories covered during three decades of global reporting

Mika Hentunen: “If you want to be a foreign correspondent, you have to be multimedia. The more skills you have, the better.” (GBJ photo)

By MARIA ARKHIPOVA

Global Business Journalism reporter

Mika Hentunen, Asia correspondent for Finland’s YLE broadcasting, is a living legend of international journalism — a man who’s witnessed firsthand the fall of the Berlin Wall, the 9/11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and the surreal drama of Donald Trump’s summits with Kim Jong Un. As he prepares to leave Beijing after a consequential two-year posting, he shared his insights on China’s rise and the rapidly shifting global order with Tsinghua’s Global Business Journalism students on March 18. 

It was a masterclass in perspective, delivered not from the detached heights of academia but from the trenches of a career spent chasing headlines across continents. Hentunen’s latest book, “The Next Superpower,” co-authored with Kristiina Helenius, offers a timely analysis of China’s ascendancy and is due out in May.

Mika Hentunen: "I feel like there's so much to learn."

Hentunen had covered Korea, the Balkan civil wars and the fall of the Berlin Wall as a young reporter. But nothing prepared him for his arrival in the United States in 2001, a mere 10 days before 9/11. 

“Quite a start to the assignment,” he remarked, understating the unpredictable nature of his profession. 

He went on to two tours of duty in the United States, the first chronicling George W. Bush's international military interventions and the second covering Donald Trump's "America First" political revanchism. Hentunen's book on the legacy of Trump's first term was published in 2021.

His time in Beijing, he confessed, was a bit slower paced, with less big breaking news and more time for offering international perspective. He is preparing to depart in April with a mixture of exhilaration and reflection — the exhilarating pace of covering one of the world’s most dynamic countries tempered by the bittersweet knowledge that his time there is ending. 

“I feel like there’s so much to learn,” he mused, his voice carrying the weight of years dedicated to understanding a complex and evolving landscape. 

And while he looks forward to his next assignment in Moscow, the reality of the uncertain visa process amid international tensions hung heavy: “In this situation, anything can happen.”

Hentunen’s perspective on the evolution of journalism during his career as a print, radio and television journalist was both insightful and pragmatic. Multimedia, he declared, is no longer an option, it is an absolute necessity:  “We do everything. So we write, we do online, we do TV, radio. It’s a lot of live reporting.”  

He also noted subtle, country-specific nuances in the multimedia  approaches of journalists from different parts of the world:  “It’s a little bit different from country to country… but we [have to] do everything.”

Just as journalism is rapidly changing, so is the world’s economic and political order. An upcoming European Union summit, coinciding with Hentunen’s book’s release, offers a potent illustration of the breakneck speed of the shifts. 

“How quickly everything is changing now,” he observed, highlighting the evolving EU-China relationship amid Donald Trump’s radical rethinking of American foreign policy. 

The speed of change can be daunting for a daily journalist, but even more for a book author with a set publication deadline. Hentunen says the final draft of his book on China’s rise, while meticulously researched, already feels slightly out of date. 

“Interviews done six weeks ago… they feel old,” he admitted, acknowledging the constant need for updated analysis that will continue until the book is printed. 

Mika Hentunen at Tsinghua: A nuanced understanding of a world far too complex for simple answers.

This candor resonated deeply among the student journalists, reminding them that even the most seasoned experts navigate a world of constant flux. In such a world, expertise and adaptability are essential.

Hentunen’s understanding of China was anything but simplistic. He highlighted the changing perceptions within Europe – a shift away from anxieties toward a more nuanced, diversified approach to international relations. He discussed China’s challenges – the aging population, the global technological race – and the complexities surrounding Taiwan, where “the focus is often… too much… on the military side” rather than on broader political and economic strategies.

Hentunen’s own experiences as a foreign correspondent in China provided a glimpse into the challenges of the profession — the bureaucratic red tape, the security snarls, the cultural hurdles, the sheer effort involved in producing high-quality journalism in a world that often prioritizes speed and simplicity over depth. He emphasized the importance of adaptability, creativity, and building a robust multimedia skillset.

“If you want to be a foreign correspondent, you have to be multimedia,” he said. “The more skills you have, the better.” 

Yet he also addressed the industry’s persistent struggle to provide fair compensation and resources for quality journalism. Many news organizations are reducing their international coverage, he noted, at a time when the world is more interconnected than ever before.

Hentunen’s evening at Tsinghua wasn’t merely a career retrospective; it served as a powerful testament to the transformative nature of the 21st-century global landscape and the skills necessary to navigate it successfully. His insights offered invaluable lessons for aspiring journalists: anticipate the unexpected, embrace versatility, and above all, strive for a profound and nuanced understanding of a world far too complex for simple answers.