Victor Gao

A former English interpreter to Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s, Victor Gao witnessed firsthand the strategic thinking that launched China’s reform and opening era. That formative experience continues to shape his worldview and public advocacy today.

Gao is Vice President of the Center for China and Globalisation (CCG), one of China’s leading think tanks. He serves in senior advisory and board roles across the energy, finance, and industrial sectors. He has held senior positions at Morgan Stanley, China International Capital Corporation (CICC), and Daiwa Securities, before serving as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of CNOOC Limited, one of China’s largest energy firms. He also advised Saudi Aramco and sits on multiple corporate boards in Hong Kong.

As a geopolitical analyst, Victor Gao is known for articulating China’s strategic worldview to Western audiences with clarity and conviction. He argues that China’s modernisation represents not expansionism, but historical restoration — a return to parity within a multipolar system. He strongly defends national sovereignty on Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang, critiques Western liberal universalism, and positions China as a pragmatic champion of globalisation, free trade, and multilateralism.

On US–China relations, Gao rejects “decoupling” as economically destructive and strategically dangerous. He frequently argues that tariffs function as taxes on domestic consumers, that re-industrialisation requires deep structural reform rather than rhetoric, and that overreach (historically the downfall of great powers) is a risk the United States must confront. At the same time, he maintains that long-term China–US engagement is inevitable, grounded in economic interdependence and shared global responsibilities.

Regionally, he emphasises ASEAN’s importance to China and advocates deeper Southeast Asian integration through infrastructure connectivity. He echoes Deng’s maxim that development is the “hard truth.” Globally, he champions multipolarity, non-hegemony, and equal respect among civilisations.

Victor Gao is a licensed attorney in New York and a prolific author and editor of more than 25 books in English and Chinese. He was educated at Yale Law School (J.D.) and Yale’s Graduate School (M.A. in International Relations), and trained originally in English literature.