Overview

Cheng Siwei (June 1935 – 12 July 2015) was a prominent Chinese economist, academic leader and public official. Widely known for his work on management science, systems engineering and what has been called the "fictitious economy," Cheng combined scholarly research with institutional leadership and political service. His career bridged university administration, research centers and national advisory roles.

Career and institutional roles

Cheng held senior positions in a number of research and academic organizations. He served as chairman or president of several professional bodies and research units, and he helped build institutional capacity for interdisciplinary study of economics, data and management.

  • Chairman, China Soft Science Research Association (details).
  • President, Chinese Society for Management Modernization (profile).
  • Director, Research Center on Fictitious Economy and Data Science at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (research center).
  • Dean, School of Management, Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Honorary President, East China University of Science and Technology (academic roles).

Academic contributions and ideas

Cheng worked across economics, management science, information systems and applied mathematics. He emphasized the use of systems thinking and quantitative methods to inform organizational decision-making. In later years he promoted study of the so-called "fictitious economy," a term used in Chinese economic discourse to describe the non-physical, financial and virtual sectors of the economy and their interactions with the real economy. He also advocated for greater use of data science and computational tools in economic analysis.

Public service and influence

Beyond academia Cheng was active in political and consultative institutions, participating in policymaking and advisory forums where scholars and experts contributed to national planning. His blend of technical scholarship and institutional leadership made him a frequent commentator on economic reform, industrial modernization and the role of innovation in development. For more on his public service record see further information.

Legacy

Cheng Siwei is remembered for promoting interdisciplinary approaches to economics and management and for helping to establish research programs that linked data, theory and policy. He died on the morning of 12 July 2015 at the age of 80. His work continues to be cited in discussions about economic structure, financial–real economy interactions and the application of computational methods to social science problems.