Yu Tao is Interim Convener (Acting Director) of Research Center for Public Diplomacy and Hainan Openness at National Institute for South China Sea Studies, Research Fellow at the Research Base for Foreign Cultural Exchanges (Cultural Trade) of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China. His main research areas include Public Diplomacy and Hainan Openness theory and practice, international trade and investment, and marine economy. He previously worked at the Liaoning Provincial Development and Reform Commission, engaging in economic research. He has studied or taken advanced courses at the University of Melbourne in Australia, University College London in the United Kingdom, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and Fudan University in China. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from University College London and a master's degree in finance from Nanyang Technological University.

He has published dozens of theoretical review articles in newspapers and periodicals such as People's Daily, Guangming Daily, Economic Daily, and the Journal of Hainan University. He has authored several works, including "New Form of Opening Up: Theory and Practice of Hainan Free Trade Port Construction" and "International Trade Review". He has presided over a number of national and provincial-level research projects, such as special research topics of national high-end think tanks. The related research achievements won the "Five-One Project" Award of Hainan Province.