Yuchao Xu
CITIZENSHIP
China
HINRICH SCHOLARSHIP
NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public PolicySingapore
Master in International Affairs, Class of 2022
CURRENT EMPLOYMENT
Research AssistantUniversity of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
“This scholarship is an important recognition. It has inspired me to become an advocate for mutually beneficial and sustainable global trade.”
Scholar background
Yuchao Xu is a young professional with a keen interest in research and a wealth of international experience. Currently based in Adelaide, Australia, he is employed as a Research Assistant at the University of South Australia, where he actively contributes to data collection and the drafting of research papers. His primary area of focus is transport economics and management with a particular emphasis on sustainable aviation fuel policies in Australia, and the growing influence of low-cost carriers on the tourism sector.
Prior to moving to Australia, Yuchao took an internship in New Delhi with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia & the Pacific in the Office for South and South-West Asia (ESCAP-SSWA). In this role, he supported research projects related to disaster risk reduction, trade facilitation, and regional economic integration. Previously, he was a Research Assistant at the Institute of Urban Management Studies, an affiliate of the Guangzhou Academy of Social Science.
Yuchao holds a Bachelor of Public Administration from Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China. He also earned a Master of International Affairs from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy through the Hinrich Global Trade Leader Scholarship Program in 2022.
Personal statement
Having studied for five years to comprehend China’s public policy, I developed a strong interest to be an analyst of China policy formulation and its potential global impacts.
During my undergraduate, other than actively participating in various research projects in Guangdong Province, I also received scholarships to participate in exchange programs in California, New York, Israel and Taiwan to gain a global perspective. In 2019, I worked as a Research Assistant at the Institute of Urban Management studies, a think tank in Guangzhou. Our team proposed strategies for maintaining steady and sustainable population growth for Guangzhou City till 2050, as Guangzhou has been under the pressure to secure its rank within the Greater Bay Area. These experiences have inspired me to delve deeper into the field of international affairs and apply for Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS.
Singapore, as a major trading and business hub, has been linked to ASEAN members, China, and India geographically, and to Australia and the US strategically, serving a unique vantage point for examining global issues. In the era of post-COVID-19, global trade, especially the supply chain of essentials, needs to be reviewed in a more holistic and dynamic framework. How to balance economic sovereignty and sustainable trade will be a heated topic globally.
At this very moment, I am very honored to receive this scholarship from the Hinrich Foundation. Outstanding scholars and alumni of the Foundation will provide me insights from their perspectives, aspiring me to learn, to grow, and eventually to be a strong advocate for sustainable global trade.
