Professor Shirley Ze Yu is a distinguished expert in China's political economy. She serves as Director of the China-Africa Initiative at the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa at the London School of Economics (LSE) and has served as a Senior Practitioner Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School (2018-24). Additionally, she holds faculty appointments as a professor at the IE Business School and as an Honorary Distinguished Foreign Faculty Professor at the National Defence University in Islamabad.
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Shirley Ze Yu is a member of the Davos Expert Network, specializing in China and geo-economics. Her insights have been featured in influential publications, including the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and South China Morning Post. As a frequent commentator on global issues, she regularly contributes to leading news platforms such as the BBC, Bloomberg, and Al Jazeera.
Yu is a sought-after speaker at premier think tanks and research institutions worldwide, including Chatham House, Asia Society, Harvard University, Cambridge University, Oxford University, and the London School of Economics.
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She serves on the boards of international companies, bringing extensive expertise to advising Fortune Global 100 corporations and multilateral institutions on the strategic and economic dimensions of China’s evolving economy, public policy, and techno-geopolitics.
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She holds a Ph.D. in political economy from Peking University and a Master’s degree from Harvard University. She remains deeply engaged with global stakeholders on the far-reaching impacts of China’s ascent on the world stage.