Foreign firms' role underlined in Shanghai's green ambitions
As Shanghai continues to pursue its goal of becoming a global hub for sustainability and innovation, foreign enterprises are expected to play an increasingly important role in shaping the city's future.
During the ongoing Shanghai Carbon Neutrality Expo, a seminar was held on green and low-carbon development of foreign-invested enterprises in Shanghai.
Government officials and business executives emphasized the importance of green and low-carbon development and the role of foreign enterprises in achieving this goal.
Ding Ding, deputy director of the foreign environmental cooperation center under China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said in her speech that the center is actively working with the Shanghai Bureau of Ecology and Environment to jointly establish a Shanghai Cooperation Organization Ecological Environmental Protection Innovation Base.
The center is willing to strengthen cooperation with domestic and foreign institutions and enterprises, provide a platform for green and low-carbon technology matchmaking, introduce and promote more excellent green and low-carbon technologies, according to Ding.
Ding Ding, deputy director of the foreign environmental cooperation center under China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment gives a speech at the seminar.
Zhu Yi, deputy director of the Shanghai Commission of Commerce, also stressed the importance of sustainable development and the need for foreign enterprises to play an active role in promoting green and low-carbon practices.
She said that climate change is a global issue that affects all and that sustainable development is a key solution to this challenge.
Zhu called on foreign enterprises to adhere to sustainable development principles, leverage their experience and expertise, and help Shanghai achieve its green and low-carbon development goals.
Foreign enterprises, meanwhile, expressed confidence in the city.
Lou Jianfeng, chairman and CEO of BASF China and president of the Shanghai Foreign Investment Association's Green and Low-Carbon Development Committee, said that with the support of more businesses, the committee hopes to serve as a platform for foreign enterprises to share their experiences, exchange ideas and best practices, and contribute to the city's efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.
Enterprises also shared their insights on the path to low-carbon development. For example, Qin Hu, vice president of EDF, assessed potential emission reduction, emission reduction costs, technological and commercial feasibility, and challenges faced by technological innovation and deployment.
It is crucial to deploy these technologies before 2050 to achieve emission reduction goals, while innovation still needs to be accelerated to achieve these goals, Qin said. Enterprises, financial institutions, and decision-making organizations are all essential in accelerating innovation.
In addition to technological innovation, enterprise executives also noted that digital and intelligent overall solutions are another driving force for accelerating green and low-carbon development, which can optimize and improve energy efficiency in all links and even the entire chain from a management perspective.
The seminar was attended by around 250 government officials, experts, and business representatives. The expo, meanwhile, will close on Wednesday.
