On October 20th, the International Development Sub-forum of ESG China Innovation Annual Conference 2024 was successfully held at Shougang Park in Beijing. With the theme of "Jointly Building an ESG Ecosystem and Promoting International Development," the event was jointly organized by China Certification & Inspection (Group) Co., Ltd. (CCIC) and the China Enterprise Reform and Development Society (CERDS), and hosted by China Quality Certification Centre (CQC).

Over 200 representatives from international organizations, governments, universities, central enterprises, local state-owned enterprises, private enterprises, technical institutions, and media attended the conference, including Peng Huagang, President of CERDS; Zhang Xiaosong, Deputy Director of the Social Responsibility Bureau of SASAC; Hou Lian'an, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Xu Zengde, Chairman of CCIC; Fan Jianlin, Vice President-elect of CERDS and former Director of the Retirement Cadre Administration of SASAC; Tan Jian, Vice President of CERDS; Wan Xinming, Deputy General Manager of CCIC; Liu Jiang, Managing Director of CQC; Liu Gang, Deputy Managing Director of CQC; Zhang Zhengwei, Special Advisor to the Chairman and Director of the Beijing Office of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB); Lv Jianzhong, Board Member of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI); Liang Xi, Professor of Sustainable Transformation in Infrastructure at University College London (UCL); Joshua Wickerham, Director of External Relations at the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling Alliance (ISEAL); Wang Xiaoshu, Head of ESG and Climate Research for Asia Pacific at MSCI; Zhang Hongsheng, Director of the Board Office of China Construction Group; Jiang Xiaojiang, Deputy Director of China Communications Construction Company Limited; Liu Wei, Director of Global Standards and Environmental Affairs at Lenovo Group; Dou Yan, Vice President of TCL Huaxing Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd.; Tian Fuxi, Vice President of SK China; Shi Jun, General Manager of Suzhou UL-Meihua Certification Co., Ltd.; Wei Binsheng, General Manager of DEKRA Management Systems & Sustainability; and Guan Zhusun, Co-President of Zeyang Tianxia (Beijing) Management Consulting Co., Ltd.

Peng Huagang and Xu Zengde jointly unveiled the "Sustainable Development (ESG) Information Laboratory." Jointly established by CERDS and CCIC, the laboratory will become a professional research and application institution integrating research think tanks, data centers, and service platforms in the field of ESG information. It will fully leverage the foundational and pivotal role of ESG data information in collection, processing, disclosure, and application, contributing to the construction of a sound ESG ecosystem.

In his speech, Zhang Xiaosong noted that SASAC has attached great importance to ESG work in recent years and promoted the integration of ESG-related concepts into SASAC's supervision and management system. SASAC-administered central enterprises have also played a significant role in advancing ESG work. They will continue to actively participate in the formulation of relevant rules, actively align with international and domestic ESG rules, strengthen their leading role in addressing important ESG issues, drive upstream and downstream supply chains to jointly build and share, disseminate excellent ESG practices, and jointly promote ESG development with all sectors of society.

Hou Lian'an delivered an invited speech titled "Research Progress on the Elimination and Risk Prevention of Pathogenic Microorganisms in the Air," providing professional insights on ESG in relation to ecological environment, public health, and resident health and safety, in line with the national strategy of advancing the construction of a healthy China and achieving coordinated development between people's health and economic society.

In his speech, Tan Jian emphasized the importance of ESG internationalization and noted that current obstacles to ESG internationalization include the lack of a unified international standard system, evaluation system, and authoritative evaluation bodies. In the field of ESG international development, CERDS has carried out a series of work such as international exchanges, standard development, evaluation system construction, and ESG certification. It welcomes cooperation from all sectors to jointly promote the international development of ESG.

Wan Xinming stated in his speech that ESG internationalization is a crucial lever for multinational corporations to enhance their international influence and expand overseas markets. ESG has developed rapidly globally, but challenges remain in areas such as international standard setting and international mutual recognition. He introduced CCIC's practices and achievements in promoting the construction of the international ESG standard system, service system, qualification acquisition, and international recognition of ESG, and called on all sectors to work together to promote international coordination of ESG, jointly build a good ESG ecosystem, and jointly promote the international development of ESG.

Zhang Zhengwei and Liang Xi shared insights on the development history, trends, and outlook of global ESG. Wang Xiaoshu and Joshua Wickerham provided fascinating insights into ESG standards, ratings, and practical exploration of internationalization. Zhang Hongsheng, Liu Wei, and Tian Fuxi introduced their experiences and challenges in the internationalization of corporate ESG.

During the launch of the ESG Internationalization Service Initiative, Liu Jiang delivered an initiative speech and jointly issued an initiative with representatives from ISSB, GRI, Suzhou UL-Meihua Certification Co., Ltd., DEKRA, ISEAL, and MSCI to "serve as coordinators in communicating international ESG standards and policies, enablers in assisting global enterprises in ESG practices, practitioners in building the global ESG ecosystem, jointly promote ESG internationalization services, and achieve global sustainable development."

At the conference, representatives from CERDS, CQC, China Construction Group, China Communications Construction Company Limited, Lenovo Group, SK China, TCL Huaxing Semiconductor, and Zeyang Tianxia (Beijing) Management Consulting Co., Ltd. jointly launched the official application of the country's first ESG assurance standard, the "Guidelines for Assurance of Corporate ESG Reports." Fan Jianlin noted that the "Guidelines for Assurance of Corporate ESG Reports," led by CQC and published by CERDS, is the first standard for ESG report assurance in China. It not only fills the gap in this field domestically but also provides an operable and measurable framework for the transparency and standardization of corporate ESG information. Experts from CQC provided an on-site interpretation of the core content of the standard.

The conference also featured a roundtable forum, where Liu Gang, Lv Jianzhong, Shi Jun, Wei Binsheng, Guan Zhusun, Jiang Xiaojiang, and Dou Yan engaged in in-depth exchanges and discussions on the international coordination and application challenges of ESG.

The successful holding of this forum provided new ideas and impetus for promoting the international development of ESG in China. In the future, CCIC, CERDS, and CQC will work together with all parties to build a more complete ESG ecosystem and contribute to global sustainable development.