Recently Prof. Geoffrey J.D. Hewings -- the President of the International Input-Output Association (IIOA) informed Prof. Chen Xikang  in an email that he had been elected as a fellow of the International Input-Output Association. This is the highest honor for IIOA members. Till 2009, there only have 6 fellows like Clopper Almon, Ronald E. Miller, Graham Pyatt, Anne P. Carter, Karen R. Polenske et al. A ceremony for two new fellows will be made at the 18th IIOA conference in Sydney, Australia in June 2010. Prof. Geoffrey J.D. Hewings was also been elected as a new fellow of International Input-Output Association together with Prof. Chen Xikang .

Prof. Chen Xikang's main contributions to input-output analysis may be summarized as follows. Firstly, since 1960, Xikang Chen committed himself to the introduction and promotion of input-output (IO) analysis in China. Secondly, the first IO table for China (i.e., the 1973 table) was initiated and designed by Xikang Chen in the State Planning Commission. Later, the State Council of China decided (due to the efforts of Chen Xikang , Ma Bin , and other experts) to construct China's IO tables every five years. Thirdly, using IO methods in combination with other techniques, Prof. Chen Xikang forecasted successfully China’s grain output with a remarkably high accuracy in the past 30 years. The lead time of the annual prediction is more than half a year; the prediction of the bumper, the average and the poor harvests are all correct; the average error rate over the past 30 years is only 1.8%; and the results outperform the similar predictions by the other countries. The forecasts received high evaluations by the Ministry of Agriculture, the State Grain Administration, and China’s top leaders. Finally, Prof. Chen Xikang  developed and analyzed the extended input-output models with assets. He was awarded the Outstanding Science and Technology Achievement Prize of the Chinese Academy of Science in 2003, Award of Distinguished Achievements in Management Science of China in 2006, IFORS Operation Research in Development Prize in 1999, First Prize of Science and Technology Progress Awards of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1992 and 1997 et al.