Honorable guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Today we are delighted to gather together for the opening of “2013 Global Green Economic Forum”. Firstly, on behalf of the CEC (China Enterprise Confederation) and the CEDA (China Enterprise Directors Association), I would like to extend my sincere welcome and heartfelt gratitude to all the guests presented.

Environment and development issues are widely concerned around the world. Green economy has become the new engine of the recovery world economy and continuous development. China is at a crucial stage of accelerating the change of economic growth mode. Deeply promoting the green development is the key to transform mode, adjust structure, stable increase and upgrade the Chinese economy. Themed with “Urban Ecological Civilization and Corporate Sustainable Development”, the forum will deeply discuss topics concerning urban ecological civilization and corporate sustainable development, as well as exchange successful experience of advanced cities and corporates, which are of great realistic significance to promote the construction and harmonious development of cities and corporates.   

I would like to take this opportunity to share my opinions and suggestions on this topic for your reference.

Firstly, green development is the significant sign and fundamental requirement of sustainable development. In the future, the industrialization and urbanization in China will be persistently promoted, and obvious contradictions like environment and resource issues should be paid high attention to consistently. The 18th session of the National People's Congress highly valued the construction of ecological civilization and emphasized the promotion of green development, circular development and low carbon development. Aiming at speeding up the transform towards green economy, the State Council has promulgated a basket of policies to tackle overcapacity, and strengthen air and water pollution solutions to develop energy-saving and environmentally friendly industries since this year. Enterprises need to follow the trend, further strengthen their responsibility and awareness, and insist on the path of green economy. They need to change the idea of development, innovate the mode, and regard green economy as the test of sustainable development. Stronger determination and more powerful measures are needed to speed up the formulation of energy-saving and environment-protecting mode of production and to make ground breaking achievements in transforming the developing mode.

Secondly, strengthening the ecological civilization construction is the key component of new urbanization. Early in 1996, the “Istanbul Declaration” issued by United Nations Human Settlements Program empathized that: “The city we live in must be a place where people live with dignity, healthy, safety, happiness and hope.” We have to thoroughly realize that problems concerning climate, resource and environment are closely related to the extensive growth mode. The air pollution and water pollution in city have seriously affected the residents’ living quality and the image of the city. At the end of last year, the Central Economic Working Conference pointed out the path to integrated, smart, green and low carbon emission urbanization, which shed light to the ecological civilization of cities. To this end, we need to make great efforts in adjusting and optimizing industrial structure, upgrading traditional industries, especially focusing on environment-protecting industries, building modern industrial system. we need to strengthen the law system, enhance the law enforcement in environment-protecting, innovate the development, establish and execute new standard, advocate green production and new trend of consumption fashion to truly achieve the high unification and concordance of economic development, social progress and ecological protection.

Thirdly, corporations need to play a dominant role in the ecological city construction. Promoting the ecological city construction is a corporate responsibility of government, enterprises and citizens. Enterprises play a crucial part in optimizing economic growth, promoting energy conservation and emission reduction, spreading ecological culture and accelerating technological innovation. Enterprises need to seize the opportunity originating from the construction of ecological city, raise the awareness of social responsibility, increase the input in green and low carbon technic innovation, actively promote clean production, and increase the supply of green and low carbon goods and services. Corporations need to proactively provide technical and commercial supports for the green building, green transportation and clean production of the city; energetically develop industries concerning environment-protecting and ecological recovering so as to achieve sustainable development of the enterprise in the procedure of building ecological city.

Fourthly, we need to actively conduct cooperation in green economy field. Green development is an international trend. Enhancing international communication and cooperation is a prominent support to green development. Since many developed countries have collected advanced technologies and sophisticated experiences in green development and ecological city construction field , we can make up our shortcomings and redouble our efforts to catch up with developed countries by  promoting international cooperation and communication. CEC and WTCA are actively exploring cooperation between ecological city construction and international smart business. While introducing, digesting and innovating those advanced experiences and technologies, enterprises should actively participate in standards and deeply involve in international green economy to continuously promote the discourse power of our country in international green economy. During the conference, CEC has gathered a group of successful international enterprises establishing the International Cooperation Consultant Committee and in this way provided a platform for international communication and cooperation in green economy, hoping to play an active role in helping Chinese enterprises learn successful experiences form abroad.

Honorable guests, ladies and gentlemen:

Ecological city construction is the embodiment of green development in the area of urban construction and the mutual combination and promotion of green development and ecological city, which will bring fresh energy to the new industrialization and urbanization construction and will shape a new situation for sustainable development. I believe that we could reach a wider consensus on issue of “Ecological civilization city & Sustainable corporate development” through deep communication in this forum, which would hopefully contribute to the construction of ecological city being suitable to China’s situation based on the road of green economy.

In the end, I would like to extend my best wish for the success of “2013 Global Green Economic Forum”. Best wishes to your health and success. Thank you very much.

 Related Chinese Website: 王忠禹会长在2013年全球绿色经济论坛上的致辞