William Y.   Zhang, born in 1962, was elected in 2014 as the Chairman of the EU-CHINA Municipal Development Commission (ECMDC), an N.G.O.   established under E.U.   Before he took the new position, he was the Deputy Secretary General of the China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy (CIIDS).

Apart from taking responsibility for this reputable think tank’s daily operation since its founding in 2010, including its international cooperation programs with foreign counterparts, he was also the Special Assistant to Mr.   Zheng Bijian, creator of the Theory of China’s Peaceful Rise.

Prior to joining CIIDS, Mr.   Zhang served  10 years as the Executive Deputy Secretary General of the China Society for Strategy and Management Research (CSSM).

He is a graduate of the China University of International Relations, China University of International Business and Economics, and the Institute of International Relations of the University of Salford, U.K.