Scott Tong

Correspondent

SHORT BIO

Scott Tong is a former correspondent for Marketplace. He reported on sustainability issues (energy, climate, environment, resources) for Marketplace, as well as the U.S.-China technology relationship, frequently described as “fraught.” He is Marketplace’s former China bureau chief.

What was your first job?

English-language audiotape (yes, tape) voice-over work. Sixth grade.Taiwan.

What advice do you wish someone had given you before you started this career?

Show up an hour before the interview.

Fill in the blank: Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you ______.

Gas for kid carpools; Washington Capitals hockey tickets.

What is something that everyone should own, no matter how much it costs?

Smoker (plus wooden slotted spoon).

What’s your most memorable Marketplace moment?

Sneaking into Burma for twenty bucks.

Latest Stories (1,339)

China's influence seen at summit

Sep 7, 2007
In the lead-up to the APEC summit, President Bush has had to fend off accusations he's been ignoring the Asian Pacific region. China, on the other hand, has been very attentive -- as our Shanghai correspondent Scott Tong reports.

China gets warm welcome Down Under

Sep 4, 2007
Australia welcomed Chinese President Hu Jintao today. Thanks to a mutually-profitable economic partnership, China has ingratiated itself on both sides of the Aussie political divide. Scott Tong reports.

Knockoff diabetes tests? Yep, China

Aug 16, 2007
Last year Johnson & Johnson discovered counterfeit strips used to test blood glucose levels were being sold under its label. Looks like we can add those to the long list of fake products originating in China. Scott Tong has more.

Sad development in Chinese toy recall

Aug 13, 2007
Mattel recently recalled nearly a million toys made a Chinese supplier because they contained dangerous levels of lead paint. Over the weekend, the head of that company reportedly committed suicide. Scott Tong reports.

Demystifying business in China

Aug 1, 2007
Westerners setting up shop in China will have their perceptions, but doing business there may be different than they expect. Shanghai bureau chief Scott Tong talks to Kai Ryssdal about what he's learned.

China's still learning customer service

Jul 17, 2007
When Marketplace's Shanghai correspondent Scott Tong arrived in China last January, it didn't take him long to learn that business is done differently and buyer beware.

China turns table on unsafe food claims

Jul 16, 2007
Late last week, China banned imports from major U.S. food suppliers. The companies say the Chinese government is just lashing out and trying to create the impression that dangerous food is everywhere to take the focus off its products. Scott Tong reports.

China's feeling squeezed

Jul 12, 2007
China is worried about its reputation, and rightly so, as importers throw up trade barriers. Responding to worldwide concern over the safety of its products, the government banned the use of a dangerous chemical in toothpaste. Scott Tong has more.

Paying a high price for bribery

Jul 10, 2007
China today executed Zheng Xiaoyu, former head of its food and drug agency, for taking payoffs from drug companies to OK untested medicines, one of which led to the deaths of 10 people. Scott Tong tells us what else China's doing to improve safety.

Cost of Chinese labor is on the rise

Jul 6, 2007
The seemingly unlimited supply of low-cost labor that has allowed China to undercut American manufacturers may not be unlimited after all. There are signs that labor costs are creeping up. Scott Tong reports.