Ding Yifan studied French at Beijing Foreign Language Institute (currently Beijing University for Foreign Studies), and then political science at the Institute of Political Studies in Bordeaux, France. He got his Ph. D. in Political science from the Faculty of Law, Bordeaux University. He has been a visiting scholar at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC, U.S. Ding taught French and international relations at Beijing Foreign Language Institute and Peking University, and worked as an editor for international affairs in Xinhua News Agency and Guangming Daily, then as the bureau chief of Guangming Daily in Paris. Ding Yifan published many papers on global economics, international relations, and European and American politics in leading Chinese academic magazines and in various newspapers. He is the author of several books on themes including globalization, the euro, knowledge-based economy, international finance, and the paradox of U.S. global hegemony.