(Yicai Global) Dec. 9 -- Yicai and J.P. Morgan unveiled their ‘2020 Yicai – J.P. Morgan Financial Books of the Year’ on Dec. 5, recommending 54 must-reads.

This bumper harvest of good reads is an unexpected bonanza and a solace amid the raging Covid-19 pandemic, said Yang Yanqing, managing director of the Yicai Research Institute, the research arm of Yicai Media Group. This year’s book list covers the frontier issues of artificial intelligence, lithography, the space race and climate change, and also extremely weighty and vital topics such as the pestilence, crisis and upheaval, as well as the standard macro economic situation, financial markets, policy mix, and fintech, etc, which show up as ever.All these subjects warrant close attention and careful reading.

Yang Yanqing, managing director of the Yicai Research (left), and Mark Leung, chief executive of J.P. Morgan China (right).

 “The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the global economy and society. The 2020 Yicai – J.P. Morgan Financial Books of the Year discussed major themes and trends against this backdrop, providing insights for the development of China and the rest of the world. China is one of the most exciting opportunities for many of our clients and J.P. Morgan. Our goal is to celebrate 100 years in China in 2021 with the full spectrum of operational businesses and we’re looking forward to our next century in China.” said Mark Leung, chief executive of J.P. Morgan China.

High-level policy makers, financial sector leaders, economists, scientists and award-winning authors shared their opinions or books with participants through speeches given in person or by video link.

Distinguished guests attended and delivered keynote speeches at this close-door event. These included Zhou Xiaochuan, president of the China Society for Finance and Banking and vice chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia, Liu Shijin, vice chairman of the subcommittee of economy at the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and vice chairman of the China Development Research Foundation, Zhu Min, dean of the National Financial Research Institute at Tsinghua University and He Jiankun, academician at the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences and deputy director of China’s National Expert Committee on Climate Change.

Zhou Xiaochuan, president of the China Society for Finance and Banking and vice chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia.

Zhu Min, dean of the National Financial Research Institute at Tsinghua University.

Liu Shijin, vice chairman of the subcommittee of economy at the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and vice chairman of the China Development Research Foundation.

He Jiankun, academician at the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences and deputy director of China’s National Expert Committee on Climate Change.

Award-winning authors and experts, including Gao Shangquan, the former honorary president of China Society of Economic Reform, Wang Yiming, vice chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, Li Yang, chairman of the National Institution for Finance and Development, Sun Tianqi, head of the financial stability bureau of the People’s Bank of China, Ma Jun, director of the Center for Finance and Development at Tsinghua University and chairman of the Green Finance Committee of the China Society for Finance and Banking, Ai Ming, deputy director of the International Department of the People's Bank of China, Ma Zhitao, vice president and chief information officer of Tencent Holdings-backed WeBank, Yang Qiang, chief artificial intelligence officer of WeBank, and Li Junfeng, the first director of National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, attended the closed-door meeting and shared their views on the topics of post-pandemic economics, the new financial order, and technology and governance.

Award-winning authors, including Yang Kaisheng, member of the International Advisory Committee of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and former president of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China; Xu Zhong, deputy secretary-general of the National Association of Financial Market Institutional Investors; Zhang Ming, director and researcher at the Office of International Investment, Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; David Wu, vice chairman of Deloitte China; Lin Hua, founder and chairman of Shanghai Heyi Information Technology Services; Zheng Liansheng, research fellow at the Institute of Finance and Banking at the CASS; An Guojun, associate researcher at the finance and banking institute at the CASS, and Zhao Zhihong, the board secretary of China Bohai Bank, attended the meeting.

Various international and domestic authors unable to attend the meeting have shared the stories underlying their books and their opinions via video, including Zhao Changwen, director general of the Department of Industrial Economy, Development Research Center of the State Council, Stijn Claessens, deputy head of the Monetary and Economic Department of the Bank of International Settlements, Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, Stuart Russell, professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, and Willem Buiter, visiting professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.

Since it began in 2009, the Yicai-J.P. Morgan Financial Books of the Year has become the most recognized financial publications list in China. Authored in both Chinese and English, the titles are selected via a rigorous process of recommendations, public votes and committee evaluations measured against the criteria of global perspective, insight and foresight.

This year's titles are organized into the categories of Theme Books of the Year, Books of the Year and Recommended Books.

Theme Books of 2020:

Books of the Year:

Recommended Books: