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.

Venue: Grand Ballroom 2, Kerry Hotel, 1 Guang Hua Road, Beijing.

Register via Zoom.

Browse the program and biographies here

Download the presentations here

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: Guan Xin, Anchor and Chief Editor, Business News Department, China Global Television Network (CGTN)

Presentation:
ADB-PRC Country Partnership
Safdar Parvez, Country Director, ADB Resident Mission in the PRC

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
  • Scott Morris, Vice-President (East and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific), ADB
  • Weihua Liu, Executive Director, ADB
  • Beate Trankmann, Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme in the PRC
  • Ayumi Konishi, Senior Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance
  • Yao Wang, Director General, International Institute of Green Finance

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:
Good International Practices on Strategies for Conserving Nature
Mingjia Yuan, The Nature Conservancy Beijing Representative Office

Considerations on Debt for Nature Swaps
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?
  • Ye Wang, Deputy Section Chief, Foreign Economic Cooperation Office, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the PRC
  • Han Chen, Senior Researcher, Green Belt and Road Center, International Institute of Green Finance, Central university of Finance and Economics, the PRC
  • Mingjia Yuan, The Nature Conservancy, Beijing Representative Office
  • Nicole Arditti, Global Sovereign Advisory
  • Luo Wang, Director, Institute of International Development Cooperation, Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Commerce, the PRC

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
  • Yanmei Cui, Deputy General Manager, Client and Credit Management Department, Export-Import Bank of China
  • Edo Mahendra, 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
  • Yihan Hao, Principal, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) China Program
  • 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”

Messages from:
Scott Morris, Vice President (East and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific), ADB
Xin Zhang, Executive Director and General Manager, Shaanxi Financial Holding Development Investment Management Co., Ltd.
All dayResults Reality Booth
Showcasing ADB projects in the PRC in augmented and virtual reality
18.30-20.30Dinner
09.00-18.00Field Visit to Project Site
Tianjin Dongli Biomass Energy and Comprehensive Waste Treatment Subproject, Dongli District, Tianjin Municipality

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