Our Board of Advisors

Alicia García-Herrero is the Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis. She is a Senior Fellow at the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel and a non-resident Senior Fellow at the East Asian Institute (EAI) of the National University of Singapore (NUS). She is an Adjunct Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She also serves on the Council of Advisors on Economic Affairs to the Spanish Government and is an advisor to the Hong Kong Institute for Monetary and Financial Research (HKIMR), among other advisory and academic roles.

Dr. Brian Wong is an HKU-100 Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and a Non-Resident Honorary Fellow at the Center for China Analysis, Asia Society. His research examines the ethics and dynamics of authoritarian regimes and their foreign policies, historical and colonial injustices, and the intersection of geopolitics, political and moral philosophy, and technology. At HKU, he serves as a fellow at the Centre on Contemporary China and the World, sits on the steering committee for the Hong Kong Ethics Lab, and advises the Interdisciplinary Dynamics: Ethics, AI, and Society research center at the Institute of Data Science. He also serves as an associate editor for the journal Inquiry, having presented and written on issues of public philosophy for the Journal of Practical Ethics, the American Philosophical Association, and the Royal Institute of Philosophy. Brian regularly briefs prominent multinational corporations, hedge funds, family offices, and investors on macro risks in emerging markets across Asia and Europe, also serving as a fellow and advisor on strategy at the Oxford Global Society, an independent Oxford-based think tank. Brian has contributed to the Carter Center U.S.-China Perception Monitor, the U.S.-Asia Law Institute, the Institute of Art and Ideas, and Project Syndicate on a wide range of topics encompassing the geopolitics of Asia. As a columnist at the Hong Kong Economic Journal, his writings have appeared in Foreign Policy, Aeon, the Financial Times (Chinese version), the Diplomat, Fortune, the South China Morning Post, Nikkei, the Japan Times, and the Hindu on China’s foreign policy, interactions between mass opinions and attitudes and government policies, and the intricacies of state rhetoric and discourse. Brian’s views have been featured and quoted by outlets and publications including BBC, CGTN, CNN, CNBC, the Financial Times, Al Jazeera, and Politico. A Rhodes Scholar (HKSAR, 2020) and Kwok Scholar, Brian holds a DPhil in Politics from Balliol College, an MPhil in Political Theory (Distinction) from Wolfson College, and an MA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (First) from Pembroke College, University of Oxford. Brian has taught modules in politics to students at Oxford and Stanford. As the founding editor-in-chief and a board member of the Oxford Political Review, Brian sits on the advisory board for Oxford’s largest student publication. He also served on the governing body of the Oxford Union.

Ms Paulo is Head of Management of the Centre for EU-Asia Connectivity (CEAC), a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, at Ruhr-Universität of Bochum (RUB), Germany. In addition, she is a lecturer and research associate in the Department of ‘International Political Economy of East Asia’ at the Faculty of East Asian Studies. In addition to academia, she is a listed foreign Arbitrator/Mediator at the Shanghai International Arbitration Center and a Senior Consultant at A&Z Law Firm. Her expertise is proven by more than fifteen years of research work, government relations, legal industry, business internationalisation, marketing and communication between Asia and Europe/USA. Ms Paulo possesses broad international experience, having worked in several countries (China, Indonesia, India, Belgium, Germany, Panama, and Venezuela) across a variety of industries, namely universities, the private sector, NGOs, as well as EU institutions (European Commission) and international organisations (UNHCR).

Kjeld van Wieringen works as a Policy Analyst at the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) in Brussels. He has degrees in History (BA) and Conflict Studies and Human Rights (MA) from Utrecht University, in European and International Governance (MSc) from the Free University of Brussels, and studied Mandarin in China. He previously assisted with research at the Conflict Research Unit of the Clingendael Institute in The Hague and with development work in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kjeld has published on African conflicts and now primarily analyses EU–China relations. He speaks Dutch, English, French, German and Mandarin Chinese.

Kaiser Kuo is the host and co-founder of the Sinica Podcast, the leading English-language podcast on current affairs in China. Sinica has been running with only a brief interruption since April 2010 and has published over 600 episodes featuring prominent diplomats, political leaders, academics, journalists, activists, technologists, and business people with expertise on China. Kaiser previously served as director of international communications for Baidu, China's leading search engine. Before that, he served as director of international communications for Youku, a leading Chinese internet video site. From 2004 to 2007, he worked as a journalist and was China bureau chief for Red Herring magazine. Kaiser was editor-in-chief of the bilingual internet site ChinaNow.com from 1999 to 2002. Kaiser graduated in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1988 and received a master's degree in East Asian Studies from the University of Arizona in 1992. Kaiser was the co-founder and lead guitarist of the seminal Chinese heavy metal band Tang Dynasty, founded in 1989; he returned to the U.S. for graduate school that year but rejoined the band from 1996 to 1999. From 2001 to 2016, he played guitar in the Beijing-based heavy metal band Chunqiu (Spring & Autumn). He recently returned to China after a decade in the U.S., and has reformed the band Chunqiu.

Stefan is the founder of Sinotan, working with his team at the intersection of Digital Innovation, Culture and Policy. His expertise lies in China’s rapidly changing digital landscape, policy ecosystem and societal transformation. Sinotan works with leading companies and regional governments, developing holistic win-win partnerships and localized strategies. Aligned with China’s cultural strategy he co-founded Sinotan Art Ventures, providing art appreciation courses, online art internships and competitions. Stefan lived in China and was the Asia Strategy Manager for KUKA, a leading robotics automation company. He teaches German-Chinese Business Management and International Business Development at the SRH University in Germany.

Matthias Stepan is a researcher and experienced manager with a working record in many different sectors. To add two of his most recent appointments, he served as Chief Representative of Stiftung Mercator to China (2019-2023), as a member of the management board and as co-director of the research area Politics, Society and Media he worked at the Mercator Institute for China Studies – MERICS (2014-2019). In the late 2000s, he was contributing as a junior expert to the “EU-China Social Security Reform Cooperation Project” and had extended stays as visiting scholar at prestigious Chinese universities. His publications include peer-reviewed articles in leading scientific journals, policy reports, and policy briefs. A Mandarin speaker, Stepan spent more than five years living in China. He has traveled widely in the country. Furthermore, he gained work experience in major German companies, such as Siemens and Mercedes-Benz.