Justin Yifu Lin

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"Justin Lin" redirects here. For the film director, see Justin Lin (director).

Justin Yifu Lin Chinese: 林毅夫; pinyin: Yìfū Lín, also known as Zhengyi Lin, Chinese: 林正义; pinyin: Zhengyi Lin traditional Chinese: 林正義, (born October 15, 1952 in Yilan, Taiwan) is a Chinese economist and Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the World Bank.

He is the founder and director of the China Center for Economic Research, former professor of economics at Peking University, and at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He received an MBA degree from National Chengchi University in 1978, a Master's degree in Marxist political economy from Peking University in 1982, and a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago in 1986.

As an up-and-coming captain in the Republic of China Army (the army had already paid for his MBA) in Taiwan, he defected to Mainland China on May 17, 1979, reportedly by swimming from the island of Kinmen, in Fujian Province (Chinese: 福建省) under the control of the Republic of China (Taiwan), to the nearby island of Xiamen in the Fujian Province (Chinese: 福建省) of the People's Republic of China (Mainland China). At the time, he left behind his wife and child who were living in Taiwan. They were later reunited when Lin went to study in the United States.^[1] While an officer in the ROC Army, Lin was held up as a model soldier for choosing to be in the army. Lin was considered a "superstar" officer. The ROC originally listed him as missing but in 2000 issued an order for his arrest on charges of desertion.^[2]

He was one of the first PRC citizens to receive a PhD in economics from US university, and is a leading Chinese economist; he serves as a consultant to major international organizations, and is on the editorial board of several international academic economics journals.