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.

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Han Shen Lin is the China Managing Director for The Asia Group (TAG), where he leads the firm’s China operations from its Shanghai office. Working in close collaboration with the Washington, DC–based China Practice, Han spearheads local engagements and strategic initiatives, leveraging nearly two decades of in-country experience across China’s financial markets and corporate strategy landscape. In parallel with his role at TAG, Han serves as an Associate Professor of Practice in Finance at NYU Shanghai, where he teaches undergraduate, graduate, and executive-level courses in global finance and markets. Previously, Han was Deputy General Manager at Wells Fargo Bank in China, where he held key governance and risk management responsibilities as a member of the Asia-Pacific Governance Committee and interim China Country Manager. He also led the China Corporate Banking business, advising multinational clients on cross-border financing and U.S.-China strategic opportunities. An engaged member of the Shanghai business community, Han is also active in the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, where he serves as Chair of the Financial Services Committee and previously served four years on the Board of Governors. He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran (Indo-Pacific) and a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Ukraine). Han holds an M.A. in International Studies from Johns Hopkins SAIS, an M.S. in Global Finance from the joint HKUST–NYU Stern program, and an LL.M. in China Civil and Commercial Law from Fudan University Law School. He earned his B.B.A. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.