Conference & Forum

East Asia Forum 2024

19 Sep 2024 - 20 Sep 2024 Beijing

This year’s East Asia Forum (EAF) will explore ways the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and ADB can foster partnerships in addressing regional challenges related to climate change with a special interest in promoting global and regional public goods in ADB’s developing member countries (DMCs).

The Forum has four sessions. The first explores strategic ways the PRC and ADB can further evolve their partnership in tackling regional challenges including climate change. The second and third focus on two critical parts of climate as public goods and explore best practices for promoting them. Specifically, Session 2 focuses on nature conservation and ecosystem protection, and how instruments like nature-debt swaps can be a viable financing instrument to help DMCs meet their commitments to conserve 30% of terrestrial and marine areas by 2030. Session 3 centers on addressing climate mitigation through accelerating the energy transition from fossil fuel powered energy to clean energy, drawing on international practices related to energy policy, investments, and transition financing. The fourth session discusses how artificial intelligence can support addressing regional challenges. Specifically, it looks at emerging best practices in strategy, policy, and regulation to enhance the potential benefits of AI while mitigating its potential costs.   

Each session will comprise a keynote speaker setting the context and regional challenges and followed by an interactive panel discussion comprising of distinguished experts.

In addition to the four sessions, ADB will also launch its publication “Echoes of Success: Case Studies in the Replication of Asian Development Bank Projects in the People’s Republic of China“. The report presents five ADB-financed projects in the PRC that have been replicated within and outside the PRC.

Register via Zoom.

Agenda

Date/TimeSession
8.30-9.00Registration
9.00-9.15Opening Messages

Scott Morris, Vice-President (East and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific), ADB
Weihua Liu, Executive Director, ADB
9.15-10.451. The PRC and ADB Partnership for the Asia and Pacific Region

Chair: Safdar Parvez, Country Director, ADB Resident Mission in the PRC

Presentation: The PRC-ADB Strengthening Cooperation to Tackle Regional Challenges
Yiping Huang, Dean, National School of Development, Peking University

Panel Discussion: Creating Partnerships for Addressing Regional Challenges
  • Yu Bin, Vice President (Vice Minister), Senior Fellow, Development Research Center of the State Council, the PRC
  • Scott Morris, Vice-President (East and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific), ADB
  • Weihua Liu, Executive Director, ADB
  • Ayumi Konishi, Senior Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development

Q&A
10.45-11.00Break
11.00-12.302. Nature Conservation as a Regional Public Good

Chair: Duncan Lang, Senior Environment Specialist, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department (CCSD), ADB

Presentation: Strategies for Nature Conservation and Viable Financing Instruments for Conversing Nature
Mingjia Yuan, The Nature Conservancy Beijing Representative Office
Nicole Arditti, Global Sovereign Advisory

Panel Discussion: How Can We Leverage Financing Instruments to Meet the Global Conservation Goal of 30% of Land and Marine Resources Protected by 2030?
  • Ning Liu, Deputy Director General, Department of Nature and Ecology Conservation, Ministry of Environment and Ecology, the PRC
  • Wei Shen, Director of Green Belt and Road Center, International Institute of Green Finance, Central university of Finance and Economics, the PRC
  • Rachel Thompson, Executive Director, ADB
  • Uranchimeg Ts., Director General, Natural Resources Policy and Coordination Department, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Mongolia
  • Mingjia Yuan, The Nature Conservancy, Beijing Representative Office
  • Nicole Arditti, Global Sovereign Advisory

Q&A
12.30-14.00Lunch
14.00-15.303. Energy Transition as a Global Public Good

Chair: Toru Kubo, Senior Director, Climate Change, Resilience, and Environment, CCSD, ADB

Presentation: International Practices for Accelerating the Energy Transition
Andrew Jeffries, Advisor, Energy Transition Mechanism and Partnerships, Sector Group, ADB

Panel Discussion: Creating Partnerships for Advancing the Energy Transition in ADB’s Developing Member Countries
  • Guiying Sun, General Manager, On-lending Department, Export-Import Bank of China
  • Edo Mahindra, Special Advisor to Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Indonesia, and Chairperson of Indonesia Energy Transition Implementation Joint Office
  • Junjie Kang, Deputy Director, Climate Change and Energy Transition Program, Institute of Energy, Peking University
  • Helmut Fischer, Executive Director, ADB
  • Andrew Jeffries, Advisor, Energy Transition Mechanism and Partnerships, Sector Group, ADB

Q&A
15.30-17.004. Artificial Intelligence: Emerging Global Best Practices in Strategy, Policy, and Regulation

Chair: Ozzeir Khan, Director, Information and Technology Department (ITD), ADB

Presentation: Setting the Context
Stephanie Hung, Director General, ITD, ADB

Panel Discussion: How AI Can Be Supportive in Tackling Regional Challenges
  • Stephanie Hung, Director General, Information and Technology Department, ADB
  • Chen Hui Ong, Assistant Chief Executive (Business-Technology Group), Infocomm and Media Development Authority of Singapore
  • Talal Ikhwan, Head, KPMG Digital Village, Singapore
  • Xudong Chen, Chairman and General Manager of IBM, Greater China Group
  • Zheng Liang, Deputy Director, China Institute for Science and Technology Policy, Tsinghua University

Q&A
17.00-17.05Closing Remarks

Muhammad Ehsan Khan, Director General, East Asia Department, ADB
17.05-17.20Break
17.20-17.50Publication Launch: “Echoes of Success: Case Studies in the Replication of Asian Development Bank Projects in the People’s Republic of China”

Message from Scott Morris, Vice President (East and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific), ADB
17.50-18.50Results Reality Booth
18.50-20.50Dinner

Field Visit to Project Site – Nature Conservation

© 2024 Regional Knowledge Sharing Initiative. The views expressed on this website are those of the authors and presenters and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), its Board of Governors, or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data in any documents and materials posted on this website and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. By making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area, or by using the term “country” in any documents posted on this website, ADB does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area.