Organized by the Center for Green Economy, “
The Economic Transition to Sustainable Development Forum” was the rendezvous for professionals and students alike, to discuss the place of international financial markets within the framework of sustainable development.
In this regard,
Dr. Huang Haifeng, Assistant Dean of Peking University HSBC Business School, Director of the PKU Center for Green Economy and the Executive Chairman of the Ecological Development Union International, spoke about the importance of green economy within the framework of the actual Chinese development model. In his allocation, Dr. Huang Haifeng, who founded the Center for Green Economy (CGE) in 2012, mentioned that the center for green economy at PHBS was one of the earliest institutions focusing on green economy, green finance and green management in China. The Mission of this center is to address effective combination of sustainability with business and finance. He added that the goal of this initiative was to make a strong contribution to society and hopefully change mentalities about an important subject –green sustainability- that should attract more attention.
Dr. Haifeng, in his latest book in English “
The Road of China’s Economic Transition: 21th Century Green Revolution” talks a great deal about what China should do to overcome its actual challenges and meet a sustainable growth. He brings new ideas and concepts to the table that will definitely revolutionize the way we all view green economy.
First to introduce the panel was
Dr. Gerhard Stahl, the former Secretary-General of the Committee of the regions of the European Union and a visiting professor at PHBS PKU. Dr. Gerhard Stahl also worked in the European Parliament and on the regional level in Schleswig-Holstein at the Ministry for Economics, Transport and Research and later on as Director-General for European and International Affairs at the Ministry for European and Federal Affairs.
In his introduction, he thanked everyone for being present at this important event and hoped that this is only the beginning of such initiatives. He then introduced the guests to the audience.
This forum, which received attention locally and from abroad, had a prestigious presence in the person of
Dr. Thomas Keidel, who is currently Director of the Financial Market Relations Department at the Deutscher Sparkassen- und Giroverband (DGSV), the German Savings Bank Association. Dr. Keidel completed his doctorate at the European Business School in Oestrich-Winkel and has been a member of several boards of directors and advisory committees of medium-sized German businesses.
Dr. Keidel, from his extensive experience gained in the field of international banking, shared his views about the world of finance and how it looks at the new ideals of green economy. He mentioned that German banks are supporting the green economy wave and are easily financing small and medium businesses involved in this area. As he travels the world, Dr. Keidel said that he remarked that mentalities were evolving and more people were concerned about green economy and sustainability. He also added that each country has its own concerns but at the end, the goal is one. He concluded by saying that green economy and financial institutions have and will come together for a better future.
Second to make her allocation was
Dr. Anna Stahl. She is a Senior Associate Research Fellow at “the Institute for European Studies”, where she completed a Ph.D. on the trilateral relations between the European Union, China and Africa. Some of her areas of expertise include the European development and trade policy, EU Strategic Partnerships with emerging powers and Chinese foreign policy.
In her presentation titled “
The EU’s and China’s Path to Sustainable Development: the Potential of Green Energy Policy”, Dr Anna Stahl compared the EU’s and China’s approaches to sustainable development and green energy. In her word, she said that sustainable development is the one
“ that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
” She finally concluded her speech by showcasing the positive collaboration between the EU and China for a global sustainable development and green Energy.
“
The Economic Transition to Sustainable Development Forum” was also attended by members of the American Chamber of Commerce and a number of local Chinese bankers and leaders in the financial industry. Several faculty members of the Peking University HSBC School of Business have also participated and made important contributions to its success.
Written by Hicham Lefnaoui
