Dr. Xiaochuan Zhou was born in January 1948. He is Vice Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia and China's Chief Representative to the Boao Forum, President of China Society for Finance and Banking.

He received a PhD degree in system engineering in economics at Tsinghua University in 1985. Between 1979 and 1985, he did research and policy analysis for the reform of China's economic system and in a large number of economic subjects. From November 1986 to September 1991, Dr. Zhou was a member of the State Commission for Restructuring the Economic System. In the period, he was also a member in the State Council Leading Group on Program of Restructuring the Economic System and a Deputy Director of the Research Institute of Economic Structural Reform in 1986 and 1987; from December 1986 to December 1989, he was Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation (which is now the Ministry of Commerce). From 1991 to 2002, he served on a number of positions, including as Vice President of the Bank of China, Administrator of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Deputy Governor of the People's Bank of China, President of the China Construction Bank, and Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission. From December 2002 to March 2018, he was Governor of the People's Bank of China. From January 2003 to June 2018, he was Chairman of the Monetary Policy Committee of the People's Bank of China. From March 2013 to March 2018, he was vice chairman of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.  

Dr.  Zhou is a member of the Group of Thirty (G30) and Chinese Economists 50 Forum.