Zou Jiayi was born in June 1963. She is of Han nationality and is a native of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. She joined the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) in February 1984 and entered the workforce in September 1988. She graduated with a doctorate degree in economics from the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, having majored in international economic relations within the Department of World Economics and Politics. From 1994 to 1996, Zou worked in the World Bank Division of China’s Ministry of Finance as the deputy director of the General Office. She served as an advisor to the Office of the Executive Director for China at the World Bank from 1996 to 1998. From 1998 to 2000, she was the deputy executive director for China at the World Bank, while also serving as head of the International Financial Institution Division I within the International Division of the Ministry of Finance. From 2000 to 2009, Zou worked as the deputy director of the International Division of the Ministry of Finance and the executive director for China at the World Bank. She served at the Ministry of Finance as the director of the Foreign Financial and Economic Exchange Office from 2009 to 2012, as the director of the International Division from 2012 to 2014, and as the director of the International Economic Relations Division from 2014 to 2015. From July to December 2015, Zou worked as the assistant to the Minister of Finance and was a member of the Party group. From December 2015 to April 2017, she led the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) in the Foreign Affairs Office of the CPC Central Committee. She served as vice minister of the Ministry of Supervision from April to October 2017. From October 2017 to March 2018, she was a member of the Standing Committee of the CCDI and continued to serve as vice minister of the Ministry of Supervision. From March to June 2018, she remained on the Standing Committee of the CCDI while serving as a member of the National Supervisory Commission. Since June 2018, Zou has worked as vice minister of the Ministry of Finance and is a Party group member. She was also appointed as a member of the 19th CPC CCDI.