Gady Epstein joined The Economist as a China correspondent in July 2011. Previously, he was Beijing Bureau Chief for Forbes, a position held since 2007. He has been covering China and Asia since 2002, when he took up his position

YCW was founded in Beijing in 2009. As it is located in China's capital, the chapter has garnered strong interest from the diplomatic, business, academic and journalistic circles. YCW Beijing has hosted distinguished speakers including:
- Zhu Feng, professor of Peking University's School of International Studies and Executive Director of the Collaborative Innovation Center for South China Sea Studies at Nanjing University.
- Ian Bremmer, President of Eurasia Group
- David Dollar, the former Economic and Financial Emissary to China for the US Treasury
- Barry Naughton, Sokwanlok Chair of Chinese International Affairs of University of California, San Diego.
[Photo credit: Jens Schott Knudsen]
Beijing – ‘What the Eurozone Crisis Really Means for China’ with Professor Matthias Matthijs, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Held in conjunction with the Hopkins China Forum.
Professor Matthias is an Assistant Professor at the School of International Studies at American University and a Lecturer at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He is a former consultant with the Foreign Investment Advisory Service of
Beijing – ‘Routes and Pipelines in 21st Century Maritime Eurasia’ with Robert D. Kaplan, Center for a New American Security
Robert Kaplan is a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington, DC, and has been a foreign correspondent for The Atlantic for over a quarter-century. In 2009, he was appointed by Secretary of Defense Robert
Beijing – Trevor Houser, Peterson Institute and Rhodium Group
Trevor Houser is a partner with the Rhodium Group (RHG) and leads the firm’s energy and natural resources work. RHG combines policy experience, quantitative economic tools and on-the-ground research to analyze disruptive global trends. Mr. Houser’s work supports the investment
Beijing – ‘Can China Save Europe From Its Debt Woes?’ with UK Ambassador Sebastian Wood
Ambassador Wood is a career diplomat, having previously served as Director for Asia Pacific for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Political Counsellor in Washington DC and in the Joint Liaison Group in the run-up to the handover of Hong Kong.