Dr Ma Jun on “Green Finance: China and International Initiatives”
Dr Ma Jun, a renowned and prominent economist in mainland China, delivered a speech entitled “Green Finance: China and International Initiatives” at an online seminar held by The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) today (24 March).
As a pioneer of green finance, Dr Ma shared his insight into the country’s “3060 Target”, a key initiative to peak carbon emissions and achieve carbon neutrality outlined in the 14th Five-Year Plan. Against the backdrop of the global green and sustainable finance landscape, Dr Ma elaborated on how Hong Kong can transform itself into an international green finance hub by policy formulation, promote green investments and accelerate product innovation.
In his opening remarks, EdUHK President Professor Stephen Cheung Yan-leung said, “Green finance is a new but rapidly expanding area of financial activities. There are enormous opportunities presented by the Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative, and there is no doubt that Hong Kong can make a positive contribution by channelling global capital to support green infrastructure and low-emission activities, as well as transforming our economy into a green and sustainable one.” He added that EdUHK had a mission of educating the younger generations through ongoing school projects, and programme offerings on environmental management, sustainability and finance education.
Dr Ma is an eminent economist and banker with over 30 years’ experience working at prestigious banks and international financial institutions, including the People’s Bank of China, Deutsche Bank, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Dr Ma led the drafting of China’s Green Finance Guidelines in 2015-16, which became the world’s first comprehensive policy framework for green finance. He also participated in formulating a global consensus on scaling up green finance under the G20 framework. In 2018, he founded the Hong Kong Green Finance Association, a platform that aims to mobilise public and private sectors resources in developing green finance policies and promoting product innovation.
Currently, he is the President of the Beijing Institute of Finance and Sustainability and chairs or co-chairs numerous committees and advisory bodies on green finance, such as the Green Finance Committee of China Society for Finance and Banking, the G20 Sustainable Finance Study Group, and the Steering Committee of the Green Investment Principles for the Belt and Road.
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