Xiao’ou Zhu is a Research Analyst in the Office of the Chief Economist for Asia. She specializes on foreign direct investment and global value chain, digital technology and the adoption, regional integration, issues on state-owned enterprises and industrial polices related to deep international trade and investment agreements. Her recent World Bank publication includes Regional Investment Pioneers in South Asia: The Payoffs of Knowing Your Neighbors. She previously worked in impact investment to combine global stakeholder efforts to launch business-driven bottom-up development programs in which investors’ interests and development priorities intersect. She holds a BA from the School of Asia and Africa Studies of Beijing Foreign Studies University and an MA from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.