Ash Center: Ash Center Welcomes New World Fellows for Spring Semester

February 1, 2011
 Ash Center: Ash Center Welcomes New World Fellows for Spring Semester
Minister Li Yuanchao, one of the top leaders in the People’s Republic of China and former New World Fellow, with members of his delegation with Anthony Saich

In February of 2011, the Ash Center’s Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia welcomed two New World Fellows. Mr. PAN Gongsheng and Ms. XIE Ru are serving as senior New World research fellows through the end of the academic year. Both will conduct research projects on key areas of interest within their respective government positions. While at the Ash Center, Pan is researching areas for strategic reform within China’s banking industry. Xie is conducting research on the health care system for Chinese farmers in less developed regions, using Jiangxi Province as an example.

Pan Gongsheng is the executive director and senior executive vice president of the Agricultural Bank of China. He is responsible for the overall restructuring of the bank as well as financial planning, and assets and liabilities management. He successfully managed the bank’s recent IPO. Prior to his work with the Agricultural Bank of China, Pan worked at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China for 15 years. Pan holds a Ph.D. in economics from Renmin University of China, and was a post-doctoral scholar at the University of Cambridge, UK from 1997 to 1998.

As the Vice Governor of Jiangxi Province, XIE Ru oversees a wide portfolio of activities. Before her appointment to her current position in 2008, Xie served as vice mayor of Jingdezhen City for six years and had worked for the Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences. Xie holds a Ph.D. degree in economics from Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics. Xie has published over 70 articles in notable journals and is the author of three books: Research of New China’s Land System; Research of Scenic Spot’s Management Right; Argument on Agriculture, Rural Areas and Farmers.

Pan and Xie join an impressive cohort of over 120 experienced civil servants, policymakers, and rising leaders from China that have graduated from the New World Fellows program since its inception in 1998. Designed to encourage the next generation of Chinese leaders to enhance their professional skills, the New World Fellows program is a key HKS initiative fostering sustained collaboration between the U.S. and China, and providing new areas for scholarship and policy reform.