For the purposes of providing forward thinking and strategic vision for China’s low-carbon development and adaptation to climate change, effectively promoting the climate investment and finance process, and providing new impetus for China’s high-quality development, the “2019 China Climate Investment and Finance International Workshop” was hereby held on October 29 at the Media Centerin Beijing. More than 160 institutions from 11 countries actively participated in the Workshop. Over 30 representatives from government regulators, multilateral financial institutions, financial investment institutions, academic and research institutions, environment and climate change organizations launchedhigh-level dialogues on "Climate Investment and Finance BoostingChina’s High-quality and Low-carbon Development”, and conducted in-depth analysison theopportunities and challenges facing global and Chinese climate investment and finance.

The Workshop was guidance givenby the Center for Environmental Education and Communicationsof Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Chinese Society forEnvironmental Sciences, co-hostedby China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group, Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, and co-organized by the Climate Investment and Finance Association of the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences (hereinafter referred to as CIFA) and CECEP Consulting Co., Ltd. The Workshop consisted of links such as the opening ceremony, witnessing the establishment of the Climate Investment and Finance Association and group photo, keynote speech, round-table discussion, case sharing.

The opening ceremony of the Workshop was chaired by Li Gao, Director of the Department of Climate Changeof the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and Director of the Climate Investment and Finance Association, and Xie Zhenhua, China’s special representative for climate change, and Zhao Hualin, Senior Official (Vice Minister Level) of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commissionof the State Council,and Former Chairman of theSupervisoryBoardforKeyLargeState-Owned Enterprises, were present and delivered speeches.

Under the auspices of Xie Guoguang, Chief Accountant of China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group and Secretary-general of the Climate Investment and Finance Association, all parties witnessed the establishment of the Climate Investment and Finance Association of Chinese Society forEnvironmental Sciences.

Founded in August 2019, the Climate Investment and Finance Association (hereinafter referred to as the CIFA) was organized on a voluntary basis by domestic and foreign research institutions, regulatory authorities, financial institutions, investment institutions and relevant enterprises and public institutions engaged in climate investment and finance. CIFAis under the professional guidance of the Department of Climate Change of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and is strongly supported by the relevant ministries and departments, including People’s Bank of China, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission,the National Development and Reform Commission,andthe Ministry of Finance. With a vision of becoming a high-end think tank with global influence in climate investment and finance, CIFAaims to promote academic research, provide policy-making and technical support, financial authorities and regulatory authorities, and technical support forcompetent departments of climate change, financial management, and regulatory authorities on climate investment and finance.The Secretariat of CIFAis located at CECEP Consulting Co., Ltd.

There were two keynote addresses during the Workshop. The first session, entitled “Climate Investment and Finance for High-quality Development”, was chaired by Li Gao, Director of the Department of Climate Change of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and Director of CIFA. M. Teresa Kho, Deputy Director General of the East Asia Department of the Asian Development Bank, Martin Raiser, Country Director for China, Mongolia and Korea of the World Bank, and Yu Honghui, General Manager of the CECEPGroup, were among the speakers who explicated the practice and determination of promoting climate investment and finance through unremitting efforts.

Yu Honghui, General Manager of the China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group

The second keynote address of the Workshop was on “Climate Investment and Finance Development Pathways and Innovation Opportunity”, moderated by Ding Hui, Chief of the Division of General Affairs of Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Ecology and the Environment. Guests such as Ma Jun, Director of the Center for Finance and Development of Tsinghua National Institute of Finance Research, Chairmanof the Green Finance CommitteeofChina Society for Finance and Banking, UN Environment’s SpecialAdvisor on Sustainable Finance, Zhai Yongping, Chief of Energy Groupof Asia Development Bank, Lu Zhengwei, Chief Economist of China Industrial Bank and Vice President of CIB Research,and Jean-Paul Paddack, Network Development Executive Director of the International Secretariat of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), presented their insights into exploring and innovating climate and finance paths.

The Workshop also featured three Round-table Discussions. Wang Yi, Vice President of the Institutes of Science and Development, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Standing Committee Member of the National People’s Congress chaired the dialogue on “Climate Investment and Finance LeadingSustainable Economic Development”, and guests presented included Wang Ning, the Deputy Director of the China Clean Development Mechanism Fund Management Center of the Ministry of Finance of China, Lei Yao,the Deputy Director of the Financial Research Institute, People’s Bank of China, and the Deputy Director of CIFA, Li Xiaowen, Director of Financial Policy Division, Policy Research Department, China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, Sujata Gupta, Director of Sustainable Infrastructure Division, East Asia Department of ADB, Lu Hanwen, Full-Time Memberof CreditCommittee, Project Appraisal Deparmentof China Development Bank, Zhu Liyang, Director of the Resources and Environment Business Department of China International Engineering Consulting Corporation, and Deputy Director of CIFA, Li Lifeng, Coordinator of Support Programs of United Nations Green Climate Fund(GCF), and Alex Fisher, Director for Sino-German Cooperation on climate change, Environment, and Urban Development of GIZ.

Peng Bin, Deputy Secretary-general of the Chinese Society for EnvironmentalSciences, hosted the round-table discussionon “Climate Investment and Finance Pathways and Practicesat Local Levels”. Among the guests were Tian Qi, Directorof the Climate Change Division,Department of Ecology Environment of Hubei Province, Chen Yijun, Deputy Director of the Climate ChangeDivision,Departmentof Ecology and Environmentof Guangdong Province, Liu Qiang, Deputy Director of Climate ChangeDivision, Chongqing Ecology andEnvironment Bureau, Guan Dabo, Professor of the Department of Earth Systems Science, Tsinghua Universityand Fellow of Academyof Social Sciences, UK, Liu Qiang, Director of programs,Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (UK)ChinaOffice, Zhang Jianyu, Chief Representative and Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund(EDF) China Program, and Mei Dewen, President of Beijing Environmental Exchange, et al.

Chaired by Liao Yuan, General Manager of CECEP Consulting Co., Ltd. and Deputy Secretary-General of CIFA, guests such as Liu Fan, ViceGeneral Manager of China Central Depository & Clearing Co., Ltd., Cai Yu, Deputy Secretary-General of Insurance Society of China, LvXuedu, Lead Climate Change Specialist of East Asia Department, Asian Development Bank, Zhang Yongmiao, Director of Green Finance Center of the Corporate Business Department Hua Xia Bank, Huang Dafei, Senior EnvironmentSpecialistofthe World Bank Beijing Office, Chen Yaqin, Division Chief of Green FinanceDepartment, Head Office of Industrial Bank, and Kelvin Yuen, AssociateDirector of Green Investment Group, had a dialogue on “Financial Institutes AdvancingClimate Investment and Finance”.

Experience sharing on typical cases of climate investment and finance was hosted by Jia Feng, Director of the Center for Environmental Education and Communications of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. Guests such as Du Xinhong, General Managerof Shanghai Lingang Offshore Wind Power Project, Peng Zuogang, Managerof DalianFlow BatteryEnergy Storage and Peak-load Shifting Power Station Demonstration Project, Fang Xudong, Deputy General Managerof Landsea Qingshan Capitaland Gao Ruimin, Directorof Research Instituteof Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum (Group) Co., Ltd., shared their successfulexperiences in climate investment and finance.

On 30 October, two technical events were held in the Jieneng Mansion. Chaired by Liangxi, Director of Center for Business and Climate Change of University of Edinburgh and Sun Yiting, Senior Financial Adviser of CECEP Consulting Co., Ltd., participants had heated discussions on “Climate Investment and Finance Standards and Rules” and “Climate Investment and Finance Information Disclosure”.

The Climate Investment and Finance International Workshop has achieved fruitful results, demonstrating China’s firm determination and confidence to actively address climate change, and has also pooledthe wisdom and strength of expertsfrom all walks of life who are committed to climate investment and finance at home and abroad, which will strongly contribute to achieveNationally Determined Contributionsgoalsand advanceChina’s low-carbon transition and high-quality development.