James Chau is the president of the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) and a World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador. Born in London, he previously served as an English news anchor for China Central Television (CCTV) and a guest presenter for BBC World News. He is renowned for his interviews with global business owners, political activists and world leaders , such as Nobel laureates Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan, Muhammad Yunus, and Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as Bill Gates, Christine Lagarde, Elton John, Jane Goodall, Takashi Murakami, and Winnie Mandela.

Chau joined CUSEF in 2018, working with its founder, the Hon. Tung Chee-hwa, before being appointed its president in 2023. CUSEF is an independent non-governmental organization aimed at enhancing mutual trust between the two largest economies through cultural exchanges and multimedia storytelling. The foundation's honorary advisors include the late Dr. Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State, and Robert Rubin, former U.S. Treasury Secretary. The foundation is headquartered in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and has established partnerships with the Carter Center and the George H.W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations.

In recent years, Chau has been involved in promoting AIDS prevention and global health. His experience in trying to tackle health inequalities has reinforced his belief that transformative outcomes are possible when scientists, civil society groups, and political leadership freely interact and collaborate. Since 2016, Chau has been serving as the WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Sustainable Development Goals and Health. He was appointed by Dr. Margaret Chan and re-appointed by current WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Chau studied piano at the Royal Academy of Music and graduated from the University of Cambridge and King's College London. He completed an Executive Education course at the Harvard Kennedy School and is a recipient of the U.S. National Press Foundation Fellowship and Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.