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Dr. Shang-Jin Wei, Chief Economist of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), delivered a lecture entitled “The Economic Outlook of Asia Pacific in 2016” at Yasumoto International Academic Park of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) recently. The lecture attracted about 160 CUHK staff, students, alumni and members of the public.  

In the lecture, Dr. Wei presented ADB’s latest economic growth projections for Asia, including analyses for each of ADB’s 45 developing member economies (including China and Hong Kong) and 5 sub-regions: Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. In addition, he also presented ADB’s analysis of macroeconomic issues in the region, such as the impact of China’s economic slowdown and the prevalence of producer price deflation. Asia’s growth pace has declined since the global financial crisis, leading some pundits to dub the situation the “New Normal”. Dr. Wei also analyzed this issue and offered policy advice on how to counteract the slowdown.  

Dr. Wei has a long and distinguished career in academia, especially in the areas of international finance and trade. Before joining ADB, he was the N.T. Wang Chair and Director of the Chazen Institute of International Business at Columbia University, Director of the National Bureau of Economic Research’s working group on the Chinese economy, and a research fellow at the Center for Economic Policy Research (Europe).  

Prior to Columbia University, Dr. Wei was an Assistant Director and Chief of Division at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) where he led the Fund’s policy research and advised on issues in international trade, investment, globalization, and related topics. He was IMF Chief of Mission to Myanmar in 2004. Dr. Wei served as an advisor on anti-corruption policy and research at the World Bank from 1999 to 2000.  

Dr. Wei earned a PhD in Economics and a Master’s degree in Finance from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master’s degree in Economics from Pennsylvania State University and a Bachelor’s degree in World Economy from Fudan University in China.