Wang Huiyao (; born July 2, 1958), also known as Henry Wang, is the founder and president of

Center for China and Globalization The Center for China and Globalization (CCG) is a Chinese think tank based in Beijing. It is registered as a non-governmental organization, though its independence from the Chinese Communist Party has been disputed. It also occasionally suffered ...

(CCG), a

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

in China. Wang plays multiple policy advisory roles in China, as a counselor for the

State Council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative authority of China, headed by the Premier * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of S ...

appointed by Premier

Li Keqiang Li Keqiang ( zh, s=李克强, p=Lǐ Kèqiáng; 3 July 1955 – 27 October 2023) was a Chinese economist and politician who served as the seventh premier of China from 2013 to 2023. He was also the second-ranked member of the Politburo Standing ...

in 2015, and honorable vice chairman of China Association for International Economic Cooperation (CAIEC) under the

Ministry of Commerce A ministry of trade and industry, ministry of commerce, ministry of commerce and industry or variations is a ministry that is concerned with a nation's trade, industry and commerce. Notable examples are: List *Algeria: Ministry of Industry and ...

Early life

Wang Huiyao became one of those who were enrolled in college after the entrance examination system was re-instituted in 1977. After graduating from

Guangdong University of Foreign Studies The Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS; ; ) is a provincial public university in Guangzhou, Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''G ...

, he worked as an official in the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation a couple of years (now Ministry of Commerce). Then, he went on to study abroad and received an MBA from the

University of Windsor The University of Windsor (UWindsor, U of W, or UWin) is a public university, public research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has approximately 17,500 students. The university was incorporated by ...

in Ontario Canada. Afterwards, he obtained his PhD degrees at the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...

and University of Manchester. Meanwhile, he worked a number of years in Canada's business sector, including serving as Chief Trade Representative for Quebec Government Office in Hong Kong and Greater China. His senior corporate positions include Director of Asia at SNC-Lavalin and Vice President for AMEC-Agra in Canada. Wang was also a senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School and a visiting fellow at Brookings, the experience which most of his "articles and books about U.S. think tanks largely based on", as well as a senior fellow at Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Besides, Wang was an adjunct professor at the Guanghua Management School of

Peking University Peking University (PKU) is a Public university, public Types of universities and colleges in China#By designated academic emphasis, university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the Peop ...

and

Richard Ivey School of Business Ivey Business School is the main business school of Western University, located in London, Ontario, Canada. It offers full-time undergraduate and graduate programs in London, Ontario and maintains a Toronto facility for its EMBA program and two ...

at the University of Western Ontario.

Career

Wang has held a number of positions in international organizations and educational institutions. He is steering committee member of the

Paris Peace Forum The Paris Peace Forum is a French non-profit organisation created in March 2018. The organisation hosts an annual gathering of world leaders and heads of international organisations, as well as leaders from civil society and private sectors and ...

, and a member of the Migration Advisory Board of International Organization of Migration (IOM) of

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. He is also the Dean of Institute of Development Studies of China

Southwestern University of Finance and Economics The Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (SWUFE; ) is a public finance and economics university in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education, and co-funded with the Sichuan Provincial People's Governm ...

and a member of the

Duke Kunshan University Duke Kunshan University (DKU; ) is a university in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China. It was established in 2013 by a joint venture between Duke University and Wuhan University. The university is an independent legal entity. Upon graduation, undergraduate ...

Advisory Council. Wang frequently participates in the discussion and debates about global issues like

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

globalization Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...

global governance Global governance (or world governance) refers to institutions that coordinate the behavior of transnationality, transnational actors, facilitate cooperation, resolve disputes, and alleviate collective action problems. Global governance broadly ...

, international trade and investment, global migration and talent, as well as think tank development, such as

Munich Security Conference The Munich Security Conference (MSC), formerly Munich Conference on Security Policy, is an annual conference on international security policy that has been held in Munich, Germany, since 1963. Over the past four decades the Munich Security Con ...

Munk Debates The Munk Debates are a semi-annual series of debates on major policy issues held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are run by the Aurea Foundation, a charitable foundation set up by Peter Munk, founder of mining company Barrick Gold, and his wife ...

, and Athens Democracy Forum. Wang, an advocate for "Track II" diplomacy between China-foreign academic exchange, has joined and held multiple dialogues between Chinese and US think tanks and research institutes, including CSIS, the

Hudson Institute Hudson Institute is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1961 in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, by futurist Herman Kahn and his colleagues at the RAND Corporation. Kahn ...

, and

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as Brookings, is an American think tank that conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics (and tax policy), metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, global econo ...

. He has also been interviewed by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'',

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

, and

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

for the perspectives on trade and globalization issues as well as China policies. Wang is a central committee member of the

Jiusan Society The Jiusan Society () is one of the eight minor so-called "Democratic parties (China), democratic parties" in the China, People's Republic of China under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party. The party's original name was "Democracy a ...

, one of the country's eight legally permitted minor political parties subservient to the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

. Wang has also served as a director of the

China Overseas Friendship Association The United Front Work Department (UFWD) is a department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tasked with "united front work". It gathers intelligence on, manages relations with, and attempts to gain influence over eli ...

, an external name for the Ninth Bureau of the

United Front Work Department The United Front Work Department (UFWD) is a department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tasked with " united front work". It gathers intelligence on, manages relations with, and attempts to gain influence over ...

of the

Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, officially the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is the Central committee, highest organ when the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, national congress is not ...

. According to a statement by the CCG, Wang is also vice chairman of the

Western Returned Scholars Association The Western Returned Scholars Association (WRSA) is a people's organization composed mainly of returned overseas Chinese students from various countries. It is under the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Hi ...

, which is under the jurisdiction of the United Front Work Department. In 2018, Wang's affiliation with the United Front Work Department attracted the attention of Senator

Marco Rubio Marco Antonio Rubio (; born May 28, 1971) is an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat serving since 2025 as the 72nd United States Secretary of State, United States secretary of state. A member of the Republican Party (United States) , Rep ...

and sparked subsequent discussions of government influence with think tanks. Wang remains a guest of U.S. thinktanks, including the

Center for Strategic and International Studies The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. From its founding in 1962 until 1987, it was an affiliate of Georgetown University, initially named the Center for Strategic and Inte ...

, and The Woodrow Wilson Center, which Rubio questioned in 2018. Wang obtained his PhD degrees at the

and

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

. He was a senior fellow at

Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

and a visiting fellow at Brookings Institution.

Activities

Wang has actively advocated for "Track II" diplomacy to increase China-foreign academic and business exchange, and has joined and held a number of dialogues between Chinese and US think tanks and research institutes. Wang has been interviewed by global media outlets, such as GZERO Media,

Al-Jazeera Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pr ...

Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to: People * Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer * Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian * Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician a ...

, and the

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

, to comment on trade and economic issues as well as China policies. He has been a contributor and columnist to a number of media such as ''

'',

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

, and the ''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remaine ...

''. In 2020, Wang and the CCG "promoted the permanent-residency scheme" for foreigners in China, which led him to be "vilified online as a traitor" by some, according to ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Huiyao 1958 births Living people 20th-century Chinese essayists Businesspeople from Chengdu University of Windsor alumni Alumni of the University of Manchester University of Western Ontario alumni Academic staff of the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics Writers from Chengdu Educators from Sichuan Academic staff of the University of Western Ontario Members of the Jiusan Society Chinese academics Businesspeople from Hangzhou Writers from Hangzhou Educators from Hangzhou