ISSB successfully held an exchange meeting with Chinese investors

On November 16, 2023, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) successfully held an exchange meeting with Chinese investors in Beijing. This event, co-hosted by the China Alliance of Social Value Investment (hereinafter referred to as 'CASVI') and the International Sustainability Standards Board, aimed to enhance communication between the ISSB and Chinese investors, fostering collaboration to integrate sustainable disclosure standards into investment practices.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Ma Weihua, Chairperson of CASVI and Director of the Tsinghua University PBC School of Finance Global Master in Finance Program; Emmanuel Faber, Chair of the International Sustainability Standards Board; Vice Chairs of the ISSB, Hua Jingdong, Sue Lloyd; ISSB members Richard Barker, Jenny Bofinger-Schuster, Jonathan Bravo, Verity Chegar, Hiroshi Komori, Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien, Veronika Pountcheva, Elizabeth Seeger (listed in alphabetical order); Zhang Zhengwei, Director of the Beijing Office of the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation; Bai Hong,   Secretary-General of CASVI and CEO at SusallWave ; Ge Xing'an, Vice Chairman of CASVI; Tian Xuan, Associate Dean and Chair Professor of Finance at Tsinghua University PBC School of Finance; Yu Jianfeng, Chair Professor of Finance at Tsinghua University PBC School of Finance and Director of the Global Master in Finance Program.

Mr. Ma Weihua, Chairperson of CASVI and Director of the Tsinghua University PBC School of Finance Global Master in Finance Program, pointed out that humanity is currently facing severe survival challenges and that only by practicing sustainable development can we turn crises into opportunities. As China's first internationalized new public welfare platform focusing on sustainable development, CASVI has been continuously assisting enterprises in creating social and environmental value and facilitating capital flow into the field of sustainable development.

"Despite having mature assessment techniques and innovative digital tools, the lack of market infrastructure makes it difficult for 'sustainable value' to circulate across institutions, industries, and borders," emphasized Mr. Ma Weihua. He highlighted that this year, the International Sustainability Standards Board has created and released two standards, shedding light on the global sustainable development process, enabling structured non-financial information disclosure for companies, and providing a framework for investors to assess sustainable value. "The global baseline is not only the starting point for standard application but also a significant breakthrough in establishing a universal language. The total assets under management of the institutions represented by the attending investors today amount to over $318.5 billion (as of the end of 2022, sourced from public information). Everyone present advocates for and practices sustainable finance, looking forward to jointly promoting the adoption and implementation of IFRS standards in China."

The attending investors also expressed their anticipation that the ISSB's introduction of a global baseline for sustainable-related financial disclosure will help address the challenges of ESG value assessment that trouble investors. They expressed their desire to strengthen international cooperation and explore new developments, trends, and pathways in sustainable finance together.

In the future, CASVI will continue to connect global resources, deepen inter-institutional communication and cooperation, and promote the construction of a sustainable financial ecosystem."