Hongbin Cai

Professor Hongbin Cai serves as Dean and Chair Professor of Economics at the Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Hong Kong. He also directs the Institute of China Economy and holds significant advisory roles including on the Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive's Policy Unit and the Northern Metropolitan Region Advisory Committee. Previously, he was Dean of the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University from December 2010 to January 2017.

Professor Cai's educational background includes:

• Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Wuhan University (1988)
• Master's degree in Economics from Peking University (1991)
• Doctorate in Economics from Stanford University (1997)

Professor Cai's research focuses on game theory, industrial organization, corporate finance, and the Chinese economy. His work bridges theoretical economic frameworks with practical applications in China's economic development and Hong Kong's economic challenges. He has been particularly active in analyzing Hong Kong's economic structural transformation, the impact of geopolitical shifts on its intermediary economy, and strategies for building a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on Hong Kong's economic challenges in the post-pandemic era, with particular attention to economic structural transformation, talent development, and the evolving role of Hong Kong within China's "dual circulation" strategy. His work consistently emphasizes the need for Hong Kong to leverage its unique advantages while addressing long-standing structural weaknesses in its economy.

Professor Cai has received numerous prestigious awards:

• New Century Excellent Talent by the Ministry of Education (2006)
• National Natural Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars (2007)
• Changjiang Scholar Distinguished Professor by the Ministry of Education (2008)
• Elected Fellow of the Econometric Society (2011)

As an academic leader, Professor Cai has supervised numerous doctoral students and has been instrumental in recruiting 45 international experts to the HKU School of Business and Economics since 2017. He has championed initiatives to strengthen HKU's research capabilities on Hong Kong's economy, including the development of an "Economic Policy Green Paper" specifically tailored for Hong Kong. His leadership has overseen significant growth in student enrollment and plans for a new campus on Pokfield Road.

Professor Cai founded and directs the Institute of China Economy at HKU, which serves as a platform for research on China's economic development and its implications for Hong Kong and the global economy. The Institute has organized major forums, including the 2024 China and Global Economy Forum, bringing together leading economists and business leaders to analyze China's economic future.