Unveiling China’s Circular Transformation – a global showcase at WCEF 2024

Attended by Chenxin Zhao, Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), People’s Republic of China, and Astrid Schomaker, Director for Green Diplomacy and Multilateralism, Directorate General for Environment of the European Commission, the event brought a delegation of approximately 30 businesses from China including CATL, Pepsico, Veolio, Tomra, China International Engineering Consulting Corporation, and China Industrial Energy Conservation and Cleaner Production Association. It also received robust on-site participation from European governments, international institutions, organisations, and WCEF attendees, with over 200 participants present. 

Jocelyn Blériot, the Foundation's Policy and Institutions Lead, moderated the session and underscored the importance of collaboration between the world's two largest economies — China and the EU — in advancing the circular economy agenda. 

He said that as the sole registered INGO dedicated to the circular economy in China, the Foundation’s Beijing office has forged robust local partnerships, including governmental organisations, such as the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center (FECO) of the Ministry of Environment and Ecology and CACE, as well as top-level think tanks like the Chinese Academy of Science and Tsinghua University. Together, we are investing heavily via policy and business dialogues, capacity, and network building to actively advance China’s circular economy agenda and foster enhanced global dialogues.

"The circular economy is increasingly central to China’s policies and collaborations with the EU. We aim to leverage our expertise and established groundwork in China to comprehensively support the ongoing implementation of the China-EU MOU. Our goal is to facilitate robust and fruitful bilateral cooperation and demonstrate the systemic impact of the circular economy," he said.

Chenxin Zhao, Vice Chairman of the NDRC, emphasised China's significant commitment to the circular economy, addressing resource and environmental limitations, combating climate change, and fostering new drivers of economic growth. Zhao pledged China's ongoing dedication to seizing new opportunities and collaborating with all stakeholders to collectively explore international regulations and standards, as well as enhance policy dialogue and knowledge exchange.

“The EU and China have a mutual responsibility to accelerate the transformation to a circular economy,” Zhao said.

“Recognising the rising momentum in China towards transitioning to a circular economy supported by policy and industry initiatives, the Foundation’s Beijing office is committed and will continue to work with its international and Chinese partners to further our local efforts. In facilitating the China-EU circular economy MOU implementation, we will bridge policy dialogues and create the vision for the circular economy and prosperity for the rest of the world,” said Yisong Guan, Head of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Beijing Office.