As Director of Research, Xiao Geng directs, oversees and coordinates the Institute’s research projects. He also undertakes and leads research projects as a Senior Fellow.

Xiao Geng has done extensive empirical and policy research on the Chinese economy, especially in the areas of macroeconomics, exchange rate, finance, productivity, enterprises and institutional economics. He contributes frequently to public policy debates through media appearances and conference presentations.

He is also a Special Advisor on Strategic Development for the Columbia Global Centers East Asia, an Honorary Professor at the University of Hong Kong and an Independent Director of the HSBC Bank (China) and the London-based Genesis Emerging Markets Fund.

Prior to joining the Institute, Xiao Geng held leadership positions in a number of research institutions, including, Director of the Columbia Global Centers|East Asia; Founding Director of the Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He was also a tenured professor of economics at the University of Hong Kong; Head of Research and Advisor to the Chairman at the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong; Vice-President of the Chinese Economists Society in the US; a member of the board of supervisors at the Shenzhen Development Bank; Faculty Associate at Harvard University; and a Consultant at the World Bank.

Xiao Geng has a BSc in Management Sciences from the University of Science and Technology of China, in the city of Hefei, Anhui Province. He obtained his MA and PhD in Economics from UCLA.