Tag: Talk China
Finance and Technologies for Grassland Ecosystem Restoration
Grasslands are vital ecosystems for both Mongolia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), supporting biodiversity, climate regulation, and the livelihoods of pastoral communities. However, both countries face increasing pressures from land degradation, desertification, and climate change.
The PRC has implemented a range of large-scale restoration initiatives and ecological compensation schemes, alongside community-based conservation and development practices. These combined top-down and bottom-up approaches have achieved measurable improvements in vegetation cover, ecosystem resilience, and rural incomes. Meanwhile, Mongolia is advancing national strategies through its National Adaptation Plan and investment programs such as the Aimag and Soum Green Regional Economic Development Program, emphasizing grassland ecosystem restoration and sustainable livelihood development for herding communities.
The seminar, held in conjunction with the visit of a high-level Mongolian government delegation to the PRC, aims to deepen knowledge exchange on effective supportive policies, financial mechanisms, and technologies for grassland restoration and sustainable pastoral management. Discussions will draw on lessons from the PRC’s experience at national and subnational levels and explore opportunities for continued knowledge sharing and collaboration.
The delegation visit and seminar are supported by the ADB–PRC Regional Knowledge Sharing Initiative (RKSI), a South–South platform co-hosted by the Ministry of Finance of the PRC and ADB to facilitate knowledge exchange among ADB’s developing member countries. Under RKSI’s umbrella, the Talk China Seminar Series convenes experts and decision-makers to engage on urgent development themes.
Language: Chinese, Mongolian, English (Chinese-Mongolian and Chinese-English interpretation will be provided)
| Date/Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 08:30-08:40 | Welcome remarks Mr. Asif S. Cheema, Country Director, ADB PRC Resident Mission |
| 08:40-08:50 | Sharing I: Green finance to support grassland restoration and management Ms. Yan Wang, Director, Green Finance Division, Research Bureau of the People’s Bank of China (TBC) |
| 08:50-09:00 | Sharing II: Ecological rangeland management Ms. Keyu Bai, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences |
| 09:00-09:10 | Sharing III: Ecosystem valuation: eco-compensation mechanisms, gross environment product (GEP), and natural capital Mr. Au Shion Yee, ADB Principal Water Resources Specialist |
| 09:10-09:20 | Sharing IV: Carbon market development and grassland carbon credits Mr. Zhi Cheng, Chief Engineer, Ningxia CDM Service Center |
| 09:20-09:30 | Sharing V: Social capital mobilization for desertification control Ms. Jing Sun, Director of Desertification Prevention and Control, Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology (SEE) Foundation |
| 09:30-10:30 | Discussions Facilitated by Mr. Aiming Zhou, Deputy Country Director, ADB PRC Resident Mission |
| 10:30-10:40 | Closing remarks
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East Asia Forum 2025 and Talk China Seminar
ADB’s East Asia Forum (EAF) is an annual event organized by the East Asia Department (EARD) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The forum aims to share lessons from ADB’s operations and knowledge work in East Asia—with special emphasis on the People’s Republic of China (PRC)—with a wider audience. In the spirit of South-South learning, the EAF facilitates the exchange of ideas and practices among key stakeholders in Asia and the Pacific. It is supported by EARD-administered technical assistance and various funding sources, including the People’s Republic of China’s Poverty Reduction and Regional Cooperation Fund (PRCF).
The East Asia Forum 2025, with the theme “Advancing High-Quality Development in East Asia: Productivity, Innovation, and Economic Openness,” aims to:
- Share knowledge and good practices from East Asia on enhancing productivity, driving innovation, and promoting economic openness, notably in the service sector.
- Discuss key trends in achieving high-quality economic development.
- Explore innovative practices, policies, and technologies to increase productivity, encourage innovation, and further open economic sectors.
- Encourage replication of successful experiences from the PRC and other East Asian economies across other ADB members.
The ADB–PRC Regional Knowledge Sharing Initiative (RKSI) is a South–South platform jointly established by the Ministry of Finance of the PRC and ADB to promote development knowledge exchange among ADB’s developing member countries. As part of its efforts, RKSI organizes the Talk China Seminar Series, a quarterly event that brings together experts and policymakers to explore pressing development issues. The upcoming session- the third in the series- will focus on harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) for high-quality development, featuring expert discussions and field visits to AI sites in Beijing.
Venue: Kerry Hotel, Beijing
Agenda
| Date/Time | Session | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30-9:00 | Registration | ||
| 9:00-9:30 | Welcome Remarks Scott Morris, Vice-President (East and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific), Asian Development Bank (ADB) Distinguished Guest Speaker Liao Min, Vice Minister of Finance, People’s Republic of China | ||
| 9:30-9:35 | Photo Session | ||
| 9:35-9:50 | Setting the Stage: Enhancing Productivity and Openness in East Asia and Beyond Chong-En Bai, Dean of the School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University | ||
| 9:50-10:20 | Coffee/Tea Break | ||
| 10:20-12:40 | Session 1: Boosting Productivity through Competition and Innovation: Experience from the PRC and Other Countries Presentation 1: Boosting Total Factor Productivity through Competition and Innovation: Experience of the PRC Bert Hofman, National University of Singapore, former Country Director of World Bank, PRC, and former Chief Economist for the World Bank in the East Asia and Pacific region Presentation 2: Australia’s Experience in Boosting Productivity and Competitiveness Catie Bradbear, Assistant Commissioner, Australian Productivity Commission Panel Discussion Moderator: Scott Morris, Vice-President (East and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific), ADB Panelists:
Q and A | ||
| 12:40-2:30 | Lunch break | ||
| 2:30-4:30 | Session 2: Expanding Economic Openness and Service Sector Liberalization in the PRC and Experience from Other Countries Presentation 1: Shamshad Akhtar, Chairperson of Board of Directors for Pakistan Stock Exchange; former Minister of Finance, Government of Pakistan; former Executive Secretary of UNESCAP Presentation 2: Opening the PRC’s Services Industry for Innovative and Shared Development Hildegunn Kyvik Nordås, Visiting Professor, Örebro University, Sweden; Senior Associate, Council on Economic Policies, Switzerland Panel Discussion Moderator: Justine Diokno-Sicat, Alternate Executive Director, ADB Panelists:
Q and A | ||
| 4:30-4:45 | Closing Remarks Shu Zhan, Alternate Executive Director, ADB | ||
| 4:45 onwards | Networking Reception |
| Date/Time | Session | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00-9:10 | Opening Remarks Muhammad Ehsan Khan, Director General, East Asia Department, ADB Zhan Shu, Alternate Executive Director, ADB | ||
| 9:10-10:10 | Session 1: What Experiences from the PRC Can be Learned and Replicated in the Region Presentation: Promoting AI Applications for High-Quality Development in the PRC Tongning Wu, Deputy Director Artificial Intelligence Research Institute China Academy of Information and Communications Technology Panel Discussion: Moderator: Aiming Zhou, Deputy Country Director, ADB PRC Resident Mission Panelists
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| 10:10-10:30 | Tea Break | ||
| 10:30-11:30 | Session 2: How ADB Can Support DMCs with AI Application to Promote High-Quality Development Presentation: ADB’s Role in Promoting AI Application in the Region Albert Park, Chief Economist and Director General, Economic Research and Development Impact Department, ADB Panel Discussion: Moderator: Bobur Alimov, Advisor, EARD, ADB Panelists:
Q and A | ||
| 11:30-13:00 | Lunch break | ||
| 13:00-14:00 | Departure from the Kerry Hotel for site visit | ||
| 14:00-16:30 | Site visit: Beijing Innovation Center of Humanoid Robotics, Beijing High-level Autonomous Driving Demonstration (BJHAD) Zone Innovation and Operation Center, to experience the WeRide Autonomous Bus. | ||
| 16:30-17:30 | Return to the hotel |
Day 1
Highlights: Learning from the PRC’s Clean Energy Innovations
The Role of Policy and the Challenges to Address in Implementing Clean Energy
Highlights: Learning from Greater Beijing on Air Quality Improvement
Merging Clean Energy into the National Goals and Master Action Plan
The Clean Energy Transition as a Long Drawn Process
Learning from the PRC’s Clean Energy Innovations
This seminar will review the progress in clean energy innovation and potential to support regional development in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). By showcasing its practical approaches and proven solutions in the clean energy sector, the event will explore scalable models and foster knowledge-sharing among developing member countries of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The first panel discussion will explore the successful clean energy innovations in the PRC and explore how these experiences can be replicated in other DMCs. The presenters, Lin Lanlan, Deputy Director General, Department of Standards and Norms, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, PRC, and Bai Quan, Director, Energy Efficiency Center, Energy Research Institute, National Development and Reform Commission, will provide an overview of the strategic planning and innovation path that has led to significant advancements in clean energy within the PRC. The discussion will focus on identifying key factors that contributed to these successes and how they can be adapted to suit the unique contexts of other DMCs.
Following this, the second panel discussion will examine the role of ADB in supporting clean energy innovations across the region. Joonho Hwang, Director, Energy Sector Office, ADB, will highlight ADB’s ongoing clean energy projects in the PRC, including initiatives in energy efficiency, financing, zero-carbon industrial parks, solar energy, heating, and non-sovereign projects. The discussion will focus on how ADB can leverage its experience and resources to support similar projects in other DMCs, fostering regional collaboration and accelerating the transition to clean energy. Participants will gain insights from PRC’s policy makers and experts and discuss how ADB can help accelerate the adoption of clean energy technologies across the region.
Agenda
| Date/Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 14:00-14:10 | Opening Remarks Weihua Liu, Executive Director for PRC, Asian Development Bank |
| 14:10-15:10 | Panel Discussion 1: What experiences from PRC’s clean energy innovations can be replicated in other DMCs Moderator: Aiming Zhou, Deputy Country Director, ADB PRC Resident Mission Presentation: Setting the Context (20 minutes) Clean Energy Innovation Path and Strategic Planning in the PRC Presenters:
Panelists:
Q&A (Tea Break) |
| 15:10-16:00 | Panel Discussion 2: What would be ADB’s role in supporting clean energy innovations in the region Moderator: Kelly Bird, Advisor, East Asia Department, ADB Presentation: Setting the Context (10 minutes) ADB’s clean energy projects in PRC Presenter: Joonho Hwang, Director, Energy Sector Office, ADB Panelists:
Q&A |
| 16:00-16:05 | Closing Remarks Scott Morris, Vice-President (East and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific), ADB |
| Group Photo |
Downloads
Highlights Videos
Learning from Greater Beijing on Air Quality Improvement
Join us for a one-day seminar on air quality improvement, showcasing valuable lessons from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). This is the first in a new series of quarterly knowledge-sharing events organized by the East Asia Department under the ADB-PRC Regional Knowledge Sharing Initiative. The seminar will discuss the air pollution challenges many developing countries face and how they can draw on advanced experiences from the PRC on air quality management, including the Greater Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region Air Quality Improvement program supported by ADB. Experts will also discuss national and regional approaches to addressing air quality, including those in the energy, water, agriculture, and transport sectors, as well as the role of multilateral development banks. Senior policymakers from India, Pakistan, Mongolia, Thailand, and the Philippines will participate to share their insights and approaches to improving air quality.
Register via Zoom to be part of this impactful dialogue!
Agenda
| Time | Program |
|---|---|
| Morning Session | |
| 09:00 – 09:40 | Opening Session Moderator: Kelly Bird, Advisor, East Asia Department, ADB |
Opening remarks
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Keynote Speech
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| 9:40 – 10:40 | Panel Discussion 1: Air Pollution Challenges and Responses from the DMCs Moderator: Toru Kubo, Senior Director, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department, ADB
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| 10:40 – 11:00 | Group Photo Tea Break |
| 11:00 – 12:00 | Panel Discussion 2: Experiences from Greater Beijing Moderator: Safdar Parvez, Country Director, ADB Resident Mission in the PRC
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| 12:00 – 14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00 – 16:30 | Roundtable Discussion Moderator: Kelly Bird, Advisor, East Asia Department, ADB Representatives from the ADB Board of Directors, speakers, DMC participants and select ADB staff will participate in the roundtable discussion to exchange ideas based on the following two topics: What experiences from the PRC can be replicated to other DMCs? What is the role of MDBs in supporting DMCs to address air pollution? |
| 15:10 – 15:30 | Tea Break |
| 16:25- 16:30 | Closing Remarks Muhammad Ehsan Khan, Director General, East Asia Department, ADB |
Downloads
Presentations:
- Air Pollution in China: Achievements and Next Steps by Long Yang
- Air Pollution Challenges in Delhi, NCR India and Actions Taken by Sujit Kumar Bajpayee
- Innovative Approaches to improve Air Quality: Implications from PRC’s Journey by Kebin He
- Status of Air Quality in Asia and the Pacific by Karma Yangzom
- Learning from Greater Beijing on Air Quality Improvement by Lin Liu
- Scientific Based Policy Making and Full Implementation by Lei Yu
- Air Pollution Control in Beijing and BTH Region by Jian Gao
