The NexGen Global Forum is a Beijing-based research organization founded by the inaugural cohort of the Tsinghua-Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Dual Degree Master’s Program in Global Politics and Economics. Click here to see all other cohorts.
Fu Jikai
Jikai Fu received his undergraduate degree from Shandong University, majoring in Applied Chemistry and Finance (second degree). During his undergraduate years, he was honored as Outstanding Graduate of Shandong Province, Outstanding Student Cadre of Shandong Province, Outstanding Graduate of Shandong University, Outstanding Youth League Cadre of Shandong University, and First Class Scholarship of Shandong University.
During his undergraduate years, he pursued multi-faceted development. First of all, he has published an SCI academic paper in MDPI journals, and mastered certain experiments, data processing, and paper writing skills. At the same time, he actively participated in various courses of the world’s most prestigious universities, including Johns Hopkins University, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and the Chinese University of Hokang Kong on the theme of “SDGs”, “Global Governance”, and “Blockchain Modeling”, and was selected for Shandong University’s High-level internationalization Talent Cultivation Class. Jikai is also actively involved in various internships, and has interned in the government’s grassroots streets, banks, and other units. Finally, he has a wide range of interest, including recitation, broadcasting and hosting, basketball, badminton, singing, chess and so on.
At Tsinghua University, Jikai actively serves his classmates and the collective, and now acts as the monitor of Social Science Master Class 231 and the cadre member of the Organization Department of graduate Student Association, making his own contribution to his class and the faculty.
Edward Buxton
Edward Buxton graduated from American University in Washington DC in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies, concentrating in International Political Economy. Throughout his undergraduate studies, he studied abroad at the London School of Economics and ADA University in Baku, Azerbaijan. Following graduation, Edward worked as an Assistant to the Executive Director for Arab States and the Maldives at the International Monetary Fund and as a Senior Associate in Grant Thornton LLP’s Office of the CEO. Edward’s research interest is international economics and finance, concentrating in Asia and Latin America.
Guo Yifan
Yifan Guo is a second-year student in the Tsinghua-Johns Hopkins SAIS dual master’s program. Yifan graduated from the George Washington University in 2022, with a double major in International Relations and Political Science. Yifan was named to the Dean’s List several times, and his undergraduate thesis was presented at the 2023 Southern Political Science Association Annual Conference. Yifan has participated in research on Chinese companies’ oversea investment and language of central directives in modern China, and has interned at international organizations, think tanks, government consulting companies, and NGOs. Yifan’s research interests include international political economy and Comparative Politics.
Han Xin
Xin Han graduated from the University of Toronto in 2023 with a Honours Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, and a minor in Near and Middle Eastern Civilization with a focus on Arabic language studies. She graduated with a high distinction alongside with several university scholarships, and being named to the Dean’s List many times. During her undergraduate studies, she was also an exchange student at Fudan University’s School of International Relations and Public Affairs, where she studied International Politics.
As an undergraduate student, she worked as the compliance analyst in the G20 and BRICS research groups at the Munk Centre for Global Affairs, University of Toronto, as well as the live intern at the Canadian Centre for Responsibility to Protect (CCR2P). These experiences allowed her to delve deeply into a number of international topical issues, such as global investment, terrorism and human rights, and contributed to the process of global governance and policymaking by presenting her analytical reports. At the same time, as an intern at Bytedance, she was responsible for TikTok’s overall strategy and content operation in the MENA region. In her extracurricular life, she was actively involved in a wide range of academic and volunteer activities. She also has diverse international exchange experiences and has traveled to Egypt and the United States for academic purposes.
At Tsinghua University, Xin Han actively participates in various student associations. Currently, she is a key member of the class committee, the Global Governance Association, and the Zero Carbon Association. Her research interests include global governance, international organizations, and outer space security. In her leisure time, she enjoys playing the piano, calligraphy, traveling and photography.
Hu Yinge
Yinge Hu graduated from the School of International Relations, Beijing Foreign Studies University in 2023, majoring both in international relations and French. During her undergraduate studies, she was awarded the Merit Student, Xu Gehui Alumni Scholarship, and Second Prize Scholarship of Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU). She is fluent English and French speaker, achieved TEM-8 and TFS-8, and took courses in Ancient Greek with outstanding performance.
She has published papers as an independent author in CSSCI Extended Edition journals and academic journals sponsored by the School of French at BFSU, focusing respectively on Western Political Philosophy and French Party Politics. In 2022, she participated in the University of Chicago’s “Data and Policy” Summer Scholar Program, applying quantitative methodology to investigate the relationship between UN voting patterns and issues of climate change as well as human rights. She interned at the Philosophical and Societal Editorial Office of the Academic Center of the Commercial Press, UNIDO, the Beijing Office of Energy Foundation, Center for China and Globalization, and Intellisia Institute.
Currently, Yinge joined the Academic Department of Tsinghua University Graduate Student Union as the leader of the Tutorial Publicity Group and participated in the International Relations Data and Computing Laboratory of Tsinghua University. In leisure time, Yinge likes ancient poetry, ballet and theater. Her research interests include populism, party politics, energy politics and political philosophy.
Shen Yan
Shen Yan graduated from Beiwai College, Beijing Foreign Studies University with a major in English (International Organizations). He won the first-class scholarship and was awarded ‘Merit Student of Beijing’. From September 2022 to March 2023, he studied Politics at Magdalen College, Oxford as a Visiting Student.
During his undergraduate studies, he engaged in various activities where he interacted with young people from different parts of the world and shared each other’s perspectives on international affairs. He also enjoyed the different possibilities of life. He used to discuss regional anti-drug cooperation between China and the ASEAN with young delegates from Southeast Asian countries at the 2021 ASEAN-China Young Leaders Summit. He also interned at the Agricultural Bank of China, Middle East Oasis, International Politics Scholars, and the European Chamber of Commerce in China, where he gained experience in Finance, Media, Government Relations, and a variety of fields. Yan also devoted himself to social work, volunteering in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and engaging in student administrative affairs at BFSU.
His research interests lie in the Middle East, Islamic Studies, and Theories of International Relations. He also studies the multi-ethnic frontiers of China, especially the Manchus, the Mongols, and Tibetan studies to understand the nation-building of modern China. In his spare time, he enjoys Rap, Rock, Tsinghua cuisine, and cycling.
Sophia Datta
Sophia Datta graduated with honors from Pitzer College in Claremont, California, with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Studies and Asian Studies and with a minor in philosophy. As an undergraduate student, she conducted research regarding the Belt and Road Initiative and Asian cultural studies. Outside of school, she interned with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, and wrote for the Claremont Journal of International Relations regarding Sino-Indian relations. As a Singapore resident, Sophia’s research interests are Southeast Asian politics, US-China relations in the region, and Asian and global security.
Sophia is currently a first year student in the Tsinghua-Johns Hopkins SAIS program, studying in Beijing. At Johns Hopkins, she plans to focus on Security, Strategy, and Statecraft within the international relations field. She is now taking courses in Asian regional security, Chinese development, and security studies, both through Tsinghua and Schwarzman College. While doing her school work, she is also interning through the Young Ambassadors Program at Carnegie China, and in her free time, she plays for Tsinghua’s varsity softball and touch rugby teams.
Sun Yichao
Sun Yichao received his Bachelor’s degree from Beijing Foreign Studies University, majoring in English (International Organisations) with a specialisation in International Economics. During his studies, he was awarded the First-Class Scholarship, the Merit Student and the Outstanding Communist Youth League Member. He was also awarded the Outstanding Graduate of Beijing Municipality. He studied at the University of Cambridge and the University of California, Berkeley as a visiting student.
In terms of social experience, he was the president of Beiwai College Student Union and has participated in many volunteer activities, with a cumulative total of more than 420 hours of volunteer work. He served as an assistant to the National and Regional Olympic Committee at the Yanqing Winter Olympic Village during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games, and as a volunteer at the Asian Games Youth V Station during the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games. He has had several internships in international organisations, internet companies and securities firms.
Sun Yichao’s research interests include China-US relations, development studies and political economy. He enjoys running marathons, cycling and drinking coffee. His favourite fruit is cherry.
Wang Yining
Wang Yining graduated from Shandong University in 2022, majoring in International Politics and English Linguistics, with French as her second foreign language. During her undergraduate studies, she received National Scholarships, was recognized as an outstanding graduate of Shandong Province, and passed the TEM-4 and TEM-8.
During her undergraduate years, she served as a research assistant for the National Social Science Fund project titled “Research on International NGOs and Global Climate Governance”. She also interned at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization’s Investment and Technology Promotion Office (UNIDO ITPO) and the Paulson Foundation, among other international organizations and think tanks. During her internships, she wrote articles and reports on energy storage, carbon capture and storage, etc. She assited in the design of local revitalization and empowerment projects in collaboration with companies like Tencent and contributed to the preparation of parallel forums at events like the Service Trade Fair and Import Expo. Additionally, she was a member of the inaugural presidium of the Association for Regional and National Global Governance Studies at Shandong University and played a role in the association’s initial planning and establishment.
Currently, Wang Yining works at the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Beijing office. Her research interests include international development, clean energy transition, and energy poverty in developing regions.
Yang Junhan
Junhan Yang graduated from the Johns Hopkins University with bachelor’s degrees in Economics, International Studies, and Sociology. She has conducted exchange and visiting studies at the University of Cambridge and Peking University at college.
Junhan has interned at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), McKinsey & Company, and Bytedance Ltd., where she helped multinational companies from different sectors to develop their business strategies. She also served as an intern at the Board of Directors of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance China Office. She interviewed leaders in the political and business arena and wrote articles and reports related to sustainable development, international economic cooperation, and the Belt and Road Initiative.
Junhan’s research interests include international economics and finance, global energy and climate governance, and international development cooperation.
Yang Zihan
Zihan Yang was graduated from the Johns Hopkins University. He was double majored in Economics and International Studies, and double minored in Accounting and Financial Management and Cooperate Management. During his undergraduate study, he was selected into Dean’s List multiple times. His academic interests include world development, China-US relations, China’s economic and political development, etc.. As an undergraduate student, he was also in charge of Global China Connection’s event development and finance activities.
Before attending the TSDM program, he interned at CITIC Securities Investment Banking Team, where he conducted financial, business and legal due diligence and drafted prospectus. In his internship at MOXI Private Equity, Zihan’s main responsibility was to conduct comprehensive research on Chinese liquor industry. During the Business Analysis Intern at Tencent Interactive Entertainment, he utilized data service and market research platforms to analyze the potential investment opportunities in Asia’s gaming industry.
Currently at Tsinghua University, Zihan Yang actively involves in many school activities, and has become a crucial member of the social science school’s tennis team.
Zhao Yixiao
Yixiao Zhao graduated from the University of Virginia in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and East Asian Studies. He was selected for the Dean’s List during his undergraduate years and received the 2022 Lorna Sundberg International Scholarship. Due to his excellent academic performance, he was hired by the Department of Mathematics as a grader in his junior year and assisted two teachers in financial mathematics course successively.
In his spare time, Yixiao actively participates in various cultural and sports activities. As a member of the University of Virginia Chinese Basketball Team, he participated in the NECBL Basketball Tournament and won the 2019-20 “Central East” Division championship. At the invitation of the professor, he gave presentations in Business Chinese classes and helped U.S. domestic students understand the social environment and unique economic and political systems of modern China.
Moreover, Yixiao has a strong sense of social responsibility. During the “7·20” floods in Henan province, he responded to the call of the municipal government and volunteered in disaster relief initiatives in Zhengzhou East Railway Station. When the epidemic came, he took the initiative to undertake the disinfection of the school dormitory.
Yixiao has worked as an intern at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges and the CITIC Trust. He helped prepare and participate in the Seventh Global Think Tank Summit, the “China-Japan Track II Dialogue” working meeting, and the 13th Annual U.S.-China CEO and Former Senior Officials’ Dialogue. Yixiao’s research interests are mainly focused on regional economic and trade cooperation, financial investment, international trade, and national security.
Zhou Jiaquan
Zhou Jiaquan graduated from Hamilton College, where he majored in Government and minored in Communications. He has completed his first year at Johns Hopkins SAIS with a functional focus on International Finance and Economics.
Immersing himself in various internships, Jiaquan has accrued extensive experience in the financial sector. He served as a summer analyst in the Structured Finance Department at China CITIC Bank International, where he was instrumental in the origination and execution of syndicated loans for corporate clients. His responsibilities included profound analysis of regulations within the Hong Kong and China markets and the preparation of financial spreads using key financial ratios for asset-level analysis. Additionally, Jiaquan interned with Delphos International, a Washington D.C.-based financial advisory firm. Here, he actively assisted in capital-raising projects and contributed to financial, economic, and regulatory analyses to be incorporated into teasers and information memorandum. His professional journey also includes a role of project assistant at Ernst & Young-Parthenon, focusing on project aimed at enhancing supply chain efficiency and optimizing logistics cost.
Jiaquan’s research interests include political and economic dynamics of China, international development, and Sino-US Relations. He has worked on multiple research projects with Hong Kong Policy Research Institute and SupChina and contributed analytical pieces to media outlets such as South China Morning Post. His articles offer insights on a range of topics from the analysis of oversea expansions for Chinese firms across technology and manufacturing sectors, China’s Healthy Silk Road and the rebranding of the Belt and Road Initiative, to business implication of Hong Kong’s National Security Law.