AmCham China Hosts the 2023 Social Impact Summit
On August 23, AmCham China hosted the 2023 Social Impact Summit at the China World Summit Wing in Beijing. Around 100 guests joined the annual Signature Event as it concluded the 2022-2023 programming of the Social Impact Initiative and officially launched the 2022-2023 Social Impact Initiative Reports. Focusing on green development, digital economy, and rural revitalization, the Summit brought together high-level speakers from the Chinese government, NGOs, and C-suite member company representatives, who shared their knowledge through insightful keynotes and engaging panel discussions.
The Summit’s first keynote speech was delivered by Yuan Dongming, Director General of Enterprise Research Institute at Development Research Center of The State Council (DRC). Yuan noted that the surveys and reports published by the Chamber were of great importance to the Center.
The Summit’s second keynote was delivered by Liu Meng, Head of the Liaison Office in China at the United Nations Global Compact. Liu called for attention on the threat that climate change is bringing to our lives, the economy, and global society, whilst highlighting the important role private sectors can play, including carbon reduction, targeting zero-emissions, and establishing comprehensive transition plans. Liu announced that more than 22,000 companies from more than 170 countries have joined their Global Compact initiative, and that they are seeing strong interest from companies to join this collective action, with the aim to promote corporate sustainability and the SDG with the United Nations.
The Summit’s third keynote was delivered by Deng Xiaoming, Director General from the China Rural Technology Development Center, Ministry of Science and Technology. In his speech, Deng pointed out that enterprises are the chief drivers of scientific and technological innovation, and he called on companies to rise to the challenge to promote the transformation of the industry.
The first panel revolved around the theme of “ESG and Corporate Social Responsibility”. Moderator Lian Meng, Communications Business Partner for Crop Science at Bayer (China), was joined on stage by panelists Liu Chang, Vice President at Cargill Investments (China); Sun Lei, Vice President of Business Growth at Usana/Babycare; and Ren Lingli, Director of ESG Disclosure and Consulting at PwC (China). The discussion explored the diverse strategies for ESG engagement in China. Meng highlighted interdepartmental coordination, Chang emphasized the importance of purchasing, safety, reduced shrink film usage, and employee development. Lei detailed Babycare’s commitment to recyclable resources and rural support, allocating 2% of income to ESG, while Lingli elaborated on increased ESG investment, alignment with the Paris Agreement, innovative social services, adaptable strategies, and enhanced technology access.
After a short break, the Summit was joined by the fourth keynote speaker, Sun Ke, Deputy Director of the Policy and Economics Research Institute at CAICT. Sun focused on digital economy and digital transition in his remarks.
The second panel focused on “Digital Transformation in China”. Moderator Joanna Mao, Deputy Director of USITO, was joined onstage, with panelists Wang Weijia, Vice President at Dell Technologies; Wang Ing, Public Policy Director of Amazon China; and Jenny Lau, Head of SMB eCommerce at Meta. The panel delved into China’s ESG strategy and digital transformation efforts. Wang Weijia underscored the technological innovation in products and industry digitalization at Dell. Wang Ing spotlighted Amazon’s role, sustainability initiatives, and customer trust programs. The discussion also covered Dell’s solutions for IT transition challenges. Overall, the discussion showcased the innovation and sustainability driving China’s digital transformation.
The 2023 Social Impact Summit concluded with the Social Impact Awards ceremony. The awards recognize organizations who have contributed significantly to green development, digital economy, and rural revitalization efforts over the past year. Winners included: Amazon, Babycare, Bayer, Cargill, Dell, Google, Meta, and USANA.
The 2023 Social Impact Summit emphasized the vital roles of ESG, digital transformation, and rural revitalization for a better future. Through insightful discussions and impactful awards, the Summit showcased a collective commitment to driving positive change. The Chamber looks forward to continuing this meaningful work in collaboration with our members in the upcoming 2023-2024 Social Impact Initiative programming.
AmCham China launched the innovative Social Impact Initiative (SII) in July 2020. The core principle driving this Initiative is our belief that the private sector has a meaningful role to play in helping China achieve its development goals, and that AmCham China members are uniquely qualified to assist.
With the spirit of sharing, commitment, collaboration, and engagement in win-win cooperation, we will continue to explore new public-private partnership opportunities in the realms of digital economy, green development, and rural revitalization. We will organize more events focusing on these three themes in the upcoming months. We welcome both Chinese and foreign companies, governmental and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and industry associations to join us on our social impact journey.