JOHN ROSS

John Ross, an observer of political and economic developments that have shaped China over recent decades, was the director of economic and business policy for the mayor of London.

He was also the first non-Chinese citizen to be appointed to a full-time post at a leading think tank in China, the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China in Beijing.

The appointment was based on his work beginning in 1992, when he predicted that China's economic reform would produce rapid economic growth.

His book The Great Chess Game became the bestselling book on economic policy on Amazon China in 2016. In it Ross explained why the Chinese economy has grown so quickly.