Liu Qian

Liu Qian is the Founder and CEO of Wusawa Advisory, a strategic advisory firm that helps business leaders and policymakers navigate an increasingly complex and fragmented geopolitical and commercial landscape in the era of China’s rise.

Previously, Liu served for eight years as Managing Director of The Economist Group in Greater China. An economist and business executive with deep expertise in both China and the West, she has built a distinguished career bridging the two worlds. She has advised global CEOs, heads of state, and senior government officials on China strategy, while also supporting Chinese companies and public institutions in advancing their international ambitions. Earlier in her career, Liu led the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Economics Unit and China research. She also chaired internal review panels with the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). Her research and commentary have appeared in leading academic journals and international publications, including Oxford Economic Papers, Project Syndicate, The Economist, and the South China Morning Post.

Liu is also a prominent advocate for gender equality. She is the author of the bestselling Mandarin book Gender Economics, a member of the UN Women Global 100 Women Leaders Network, a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum (Class of 2019), and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Geopolitics.

Born and raised in China, Liu earned a PhD in Economics from Uppsala University in Sweden and was a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. She completed executive leadership education at Stanford University and the Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century program at Harvard University. She is a Fellow of the 2024 Aspen Institute China Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.