Crossing Worlds: Han Shen Lin on Leadership, Finance, and U.S.-China Relations

On this episode of China Field Notes, host Scott Kennedy speaks with Han Shen Lin, China Managing Director for the Asia Group and Associate Professor of Practice in Finance at NYU Shanghai. Lin details his journey from serving in the U.S. Marines to working at Wells Fargo in China to teaching at NYU Shanghai. He explains why the original hopes of financial openness were not borne out and what this means for China’s economy and foreign banks. He also unpacks data from AmCham China’s 2025 Business Climate Survey, offering insight into why business optimism among American companies has waned. Finally, Lin and Kennedy discuss the outlook for a potential Trump-Xi meeting, the need for clear guardrails to stabilize U.S.-China relations, and why continued engagement in China remains vital for business competitiveness and mutual understanding.