Michael is a Senior Fellow at the Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC. His research focuses on the international aspects of AI governance and regulation, and the trade, economic and geopolitical dynamics of AI. Michael previously worked as a public policy analyst with The Economist Intelligence Unit based in Hong Kong. At the Economist, he focused on technology and public policy, including themes such as the economic impact of emergent technologies (AI, 5G, IoT), international influence in tech-sector policymaking (tax, privacy, competition), and the US-China trade war and technological decoupling.

Yifei Zhang leads Control Risks’ China business. He manages our strategic relationships in China, coordinating teams and resources around the world. He helps our clients understand and mitigate the risks they face in China’s ever-changing environment, enabling them to stay resilient and seize opportunities both within the country and more broadly.

Yifei has extensive experience providing multinational companies and investors with solutions in China across business strategy, market and business intelligence, and compliance reviews. He has worked with numerous multinational clients on investigations into compliance breaches, responding to extortive whistleblowers, and crisis management and negotiation planning for companies facing restructuring.

Yifei also supports Chinese companies with risk management planning for outbound projects, evaluating new business partners, and resolving business disruption and complex security matters overseas. He helps clients identify and prepare for varied risks in a global environment, improving and evaluating their security management, training programmes and market entry approaches.

He has worked closely with clients across the ICT, financial services, automotive and healthcare sectors.

Yifei has a master’s degree in security studies from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a native speaker of Mandarin and English.

Erik Walenza is the CEO of IoT ONE Inc., the Chair of the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) Smart Factory Task Group (SFTG), and the Shanghai Director of Startup Grind. IoT ONE is a leading source of information and insight regarding Industrial Internet of Things vendors and solutions. Companies work with IoT ONE to develop their customer bases, partner ecosystems, and innovation strategies. As Chair of the IIC SFTG, Erik works with IIC members to reduce the risk for early adopters of Industrial IoT technologies in manufacturing. Through Startup Grind Erik supports the development of Shanghai's innovation ecosystem.