Richard Thwaites had professional careers in publishing, journalism, and public service. For ten years he represented the Australian Government in international negotiations concerning telecommunications development cooperation, trade negotiations, technical standardisation and interoperability, and internet governance.
After retiring from government service Richard consulted in these fields. He now writes from Australia’s capital city, Canberra. He has been a regular book reviewer for the Canberra Times.
Following five years as a resident foreign correspondent in China (1978-1983) he published a book portraying China’s emergence from the chaos of the Cultural Revolution in terms of the lives of ordinary Chinese citizens.
Real Life China 1978-83 is now available for open access online.