Dr. HE Wenping is Professor and Research Program Director at the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies (IWAAS), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). Specializing on Africa’s relations with China and major western powers, African democratic transition, South-South cooperation and the Middle East international relations. She began her researching/teaching career at CASS in 1989, and has served as a visiting scholar at Yale University, London University, the Nordic Africa Institute based in Sweden, German Development Institute and the BRICS Policy Center of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio). Dr. He also serves as associate researcher in the Centre for Chinese Studies of Stellenbosch University in South Africa and a Council Member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Africa in 2009 and 2010.