Zhao Kai
Professor
University of Connecticut

Biography

I am currently a Professor and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Economics at the University of Connecticut. I received my Ph.D. in economics at the University of Western Ontario in 2011, and I was an Assistant Professor of Finance at the University of Western Ontario before I joined UConn in 2013. I am a Co-editor at International Studies of Economics and an associate editor at China & World Economy. I have also previously held positions as a visiting economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and as a visiting professor at USC. My research expertise includes macroeconomics, public finance, inequality as well as the Chinese economy. I have published extensively in leading academic journals including Review of Economic Studies, Journal of Monetary Economics, International Economic Review, Review of Economic Dynamics, European Economic Review, Journal of Economic Dynamics & Control.

Statement

It is a great honor to be considered for a position on the Board of the Chinese Economist Society (CES). Over the past several years, I have actively participated in CES conferences and events, and I have greatly benefited from the academic exchange and professional community that CES fosters. I am now eager to take a more active role in shaping the future of the Society by contributing as a Board Member. CES plays a unique and vital role in connecting economists across China, North America, and beyond. It provides a platform for scholarly collaboration, career development, and policy-relevant dialogue. I believe that my background and experience have prepared me well to contribute meaningfully to these goals. I am particularly committed to supporting junior scholars, strengthening the bridge between academia and policy, and promoting CES as a hub for intellectual exchange on important economic issues facing China and the global economy. If elected, I will work closely with the CES President and fellow board members to organize high-quality conferences, policy forums, and mentoring activities. I also hope to contribute ideas for new initiatives that enhance CES’s visibility and influence in both academic and policy circles, for example, by encouraging cross-institutional research collaborations and inviting prominent scholars and policymakers to CES events. I am proud of CES’s growth and impact in recent years and would be honored to contribute to its continued success as a Board Member. Thank you for your consideration and support.

Zhang Wendong
Assistant Professor
Cornell University

Biography

Wendong Zhang (https://wendongzhang.weebly.com/) is an Associate Professor in the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business. His research focuses on U.S. farmland markets, soil and water conservation, and the global trade and environmental implications of China’s growing agricultural and food demand. He currently serves as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, and previously held the same role at the American Journal of Agricultural Economics (2020–2023). Wendong is also a Faculty Affiliate at the Cornell Institute for China Economic Research (CICER), a Faculty Fellow at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, and a 2023–2025 Fellow with the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) in Germany. His research and extension work has been recognized with several awards, including the AAEA Bruce Gardner Memorial Prize for Applied Policy Analysis and the AAEA Distinguished Extension/Outreach Program Award for individuals with less than ten years of experience (2021). He is currently Academic Vice President of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, and serves as Strategic Advisor and Agriculture Committee Member for the U.S. Heartland China Association. Prior to joining Cornell, Wendong was a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University. He received his Ph.D. in Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics from The Ohio State University in 2015, and his B.S. in Environmental Science from Fudan University in 2009.

Statement

I am honored to be nominated again for the Board of Directors of the Chinese Economists Society (CES) for 2025–2026. It was a pleasure to serve on the CES board from 2022 to 2023 alongside President Qihong Liu, and I am excited about the opportunity to continue contributing to this vibrant and impactful organization. CES plays a vital role in promoting research on the Chinese economy and supporting Chinese economists around the world. Its mission is closely aligned with my own scholarly interests, especially in agricultural trade, environmental sustainability, and China–U.S. economic relations. If elected, I will work collaboratively with President Kaiji Chen and fellow board members to organize high-quality academic events—including CES annual conferences—and to foster meaningful engagement within our community, especially in light of ongoing geopolitical uncertainties. I am particularly committed to strengthening career development opportunities for young scholars and building bridges for international academic exchange.

ZHAO RUI
Associate Instructional Professor
UNIV OF CHICAGO

Biography

I received a Ph.D in economics from the University of Chicago in 2000. The first job after graduation is being an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Starting from 2008, I switched to the teaching track and have taught at Emory University and UIUC. Currently, I am an associate instructional professor at the University of Chicago.

Personal Statement

I was a member of CES in its early years while I was in graduate school between 1995 and 2000. Unfortunately, I have not been able to keep up with this excellent organization. I have some free time at the current stage of my career and would like to serve this community. I was in charge of the Macro seminar while in UIUC. I have always involved with activities of various student organizations. I organized the BFI undergraduate spring panel in the past three years. I am happy to help out whatever is needed.

REN JUE
Associate Professor
Texas Christian University

Biography

Jue Ren, Ph.D., CFA, FRM, is an Associate Professor of Economics and Finance at the Neeley School of Business, Texas Christian University. She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from Emory University and holds a B.B.A. with Honors in Finance and Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Dr. Ren’s research bridges financial economics, macroeconomics, and political economy. Her work has been published in leading journals, including American Economic Review, the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, and Management Science. Dr. Ren is committed to promoting scholarly exchange and collaboration among economists across borders. She believes the Chinese Economists Society plays a critical role in fostering international dialogue, advancing research on China-related economic issues, and providing a professional platform that strengthens ties between academic and policy communities. Through her experience in both U.S. and Chinese research environments, she seeks to support CES’s mission of enhancing the global impact and visibility of Chinese economists.

Statement

As a scholar who has lived, studied, and worked in both China and the United States, I deeply value the importance of academic exchange across borders. I believe the Chinese Economists Society (CES) plays a vital role in promoting international dialogue, advancing research on China-related economic issues, and fostering connections across disciplines and regions. I am honored to be considered for the CES Board of Directors. If elected, I would bring both academic expertise and a strong commitment to service. At Texas Christian University, I have worked to build bridges between diverse communities—serving as a faculty advisor for international students and actively organizing seminars and conferences. As a board member, I hope to contribute in a hands-on, practical way—particularly by supporting the organization of CES’s North America conference. These gatherings are valuable opportunities to highlight cutting-edge research, facilitate collaboration, and raise the society’s profile within the broader economics community. I am also interested in expanding CES’s outreach by building partnerships with universities and institutions in both the United States and China, helping to broaden the society’s network and foster productive dialogue. CES has long served as a bridge among research communities worldwide. I look forward to the opportunity to help strengthen that role and contribute to the society’s continued growth and impact.

Tao Jing
Associate Professor
University of Washington

Biography

Jing Tao is an Associate Professor of Economics and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Statistics at the University of Washington. Her research advances causal inference, nonparametric and high-dimensional modeling, and applied econometrics in empirical IO. She designs and applies innovative quantitative methods to illuminate empirically relevant questions in economics and related social and statistical sciences. She has also published papers on Chinese economy in Chinese journals such as 经济研究 and 金融研究. She earned her bachelor's degree in Economics and Mathematics from Peking University and her Ph.D. in Economics from University of Wisconsin.

Statement

I would be honored to serve on the Board. I will contribute actively to strategic planning, fundraising, conferences organizations, expanding networking opportunities, and mentoring the next generation of young scholars and professionals in the CES community.

Wang Qing
Vice President
Southwest University of Finance and Economics

Biography

Qing Wang,Ph.D, is a professor, doctoral supervisor, Changjiang Scholar and Vice President of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (SWUFE). He joined SWUFE in 1997 and completed his Ph.D in the major of Finance at SWUFE in 2003. He was promoted to professor in 2009 and has been a visiting scholar of University of Glasgow from 2001 to 2002. He has been engaged in research in macro finance, financial risk and financial security, especially in the context of China’s transitional economy. He has published more than 100 papers in leading academic journals both domestic and overseas such as Social Sciences in China, Economic Research Journal, Journal of Financial Research, Journal of World Economy, Management World, and Quantitative Economics etc.. He has led more than 20 national and provincial research projects from the National Social Science Foundation, National Natural Science Foundation, Ministry of Education and Department of Science and Technology of Sichuan Province etc.. Currently, he is the Director of China Society of Finance, the Director of China Society of international Finance, Vice President of Sichuan Provincial Finance Society, Editor of Journal of Finance and Trade Economics, Journal of Finance and Economics, International Finance Research Journal etc..

Statement

It is a great honor to be nominated as a candidate for the board of director of the Chinese Economist Society. If elected, I will work closely with the President and other board directors to organize CES events and facilitate industry collaborations. And it is also our great honor to hold the 2026 Annual meeting of CES, we will do our best to present a well-organized and high quality academic exchange platform for all the members of CES, excellent scholars in Mainland China and oversea economists.

Ge Suqin
Professor
Virginia Tech

Suqin Ge is a Professor of Economics and the Inaugural Director of the Center for Future Work Places and Practices at Virginia Tech. Currently she serves as a Co-Editor of China Economic Review and an Associate Editor of the Journal of Labor Economics. She served as the Chair of the steering committee of the Virginia Tech Chinese American Faculty Alliance (2024-2025), the Vice President of the Chinese Economists Society (2023-2024), and the Associate Head of the Department of Economics at Virginia Tech (2021-2023). Prior to joining Virginia Tech, she was an instructor at the University of Minnesota and a research analyst at Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. She has been a Visiting Scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Academia Sinica, Chinese University of Hong Kong, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, and Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Professor Ge holds an M.A. in Economics from Fudan University and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Minnesota. She is an applied microeconomist with broad interests in labor economics and the Chinese economy. Her research spans a wide range of topics, including education, wage inequality, discrimination, migration, and the labor market impacts of emerging technologies. Her work has been published in leading economics journals such as the Journal of Labor Economics, Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Review, and Journal of Applied Econometrics. Her research has been supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Labor, the Hong Kong Research Grant Council, and the China National Science Foundation. It has also received media coverage in outlets including The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Bloomberg. In 2015, she was named a U.S. Department of Labor Scholar.

Personal Statement:

I am honored to be nominated for the position of President of the Chinese Economists Society (CES). As a time of global uncertainty and rapid transformation in academia, I am committed to building a dynamic, inclusive, and forward-looking organization that reflects our shared values and aspirations as scholars in economics and related disciplines. My vision for the CES rests on four key priorities. First, I will work to strengthen academic exchange between China and the United States by fostering research collaborations, joint conferences, and institutional partnerships. These efforts will deepen cross-border scholarly engagement, raise the visibility of our work, and enhance the impact of the CES as a bridge between two vibrant academic communities. Second, I will champion excellence in research that advances knowledge and informs policy. I will support initiatives that enable our members to engage meaningfully in academic and policy debates in both countries. Third, I aim to broaden the engagement and reach of the CES by welcoming members from more diverse institutional and individual backgrounds. While our membership has traditionally centered on institutions in China and Chinese scholars in the U.S. and China, I hope to expand our community to include more international institutions and scholars from non-Chinese backgrounds with an interest in the Chinese economy. Fourth, I am deeply committed to cultivating the next generation of scholars. I will expand opportunities for early-career researchers and graduate students through mentorship, professional development, and inclusive programming. Supporting scholars from underrepresented backgrounds will be central to this effort. Above all, I am grateful for the support and inspiration I have received from this community, and I am eager to give back. It would be a privilege to serve as President and help shape the future of the CES.