Li Cheng holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Université Paris-Est in France. He is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and serves as Deputy Director of the Division of Macroeconomics. He is also a Senior Fellow at the National Institution for Finance & Development, and a Ph.D. supervisor at the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

His main research interests include open macroeconomics, national economic accounting, and the methodology of economics. He has published numerous papers in both Chinese and international academic journals, including Economic Research Journal, Qiushi, China Economic Review, China & World Economy, and Economics Letters. He is the sole author of one academic monograph.

As a co-author, he has received the Sun Yefang Financial Innovation Award and the Guo Moruo Prize in Chinese Historical Studies.