China pushes on climate goals

Cars wait to fill with fuel at Sinopec's fuel station in Beijing, China, February 3, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

China's making a big push to get private sector companies involved in reaching the UN's sustainable development goals, according to the secretary general of Global Compact Network China.

Huang Wensheng, who is also vice-president of energy provider Sinopec, said that China's push for development driven by innovation, science and technology has fostered discussion and exchange on how to best achieve the sustainable development goals.

Huang spoke on Thursday in New York at the Global Compact Leadership Summit held by the UN office dedicated to promoting private sector involvement in the achievement of sustainable development goals.

"In the past three years, we have held an annual climate change summit that makes businesses in China aware of climate change," he said. "We've had nearly 100 large-business leaders sign a declaration of their commitment to climate change."

"We have young pioneers making declarations calling for sustainable development in China. We are bracing the children for their futures," he said.

Huang said the company, one of China's largest, is dedicated to changing its business model to tackle climate change challenges.

Sinopec is focused on delivering clean burning energy -- including natural gas -- and plans to double its natural gas capacity in the next five years to supply its customers, said Huang.

"We are now taking the lead to study even higher-standard gasoline in order to meet the criteria of higher-efficiency engines," he added.

Speaking to China Daily on the sidelines of the event, Jiang Chunyu, board member of CEFC China Energy Company Limited, said that one of the main tenets of the company and its parent is to promote corporate good.

"Our chairman [Ye Jianming] has a philosophy: now that our corporation is growing very fast, we cannot forget our society. We have to pay attention to the needs of the people in society and actively take more social responsibility. CEFC China has been devoted to the philosophy of arising with strength, and achieving with goodness," he said.

In the recent five years, CEFC China has donated more than 500 million RMB to natural disaster relief in China, sending teachers from Shanghai to provinces out west, which has some of the highest rates of poverty and lacks teachers and schools, and other philanthropic projects nationwide. CEFC has been honored as one of the ten big charitable enterprises in China for five consecutive years.

"CEFC is not doing these things to make money, but to promote peace and promote the peaceful coexistence of China and other countries," he said.

amyhe@chinadailyusa.com