On September 3, Ambassador Liu Xiaoming attended the Asian Financial Cooperation Association (AFCA) International Forum for Green Finance (London) and the launching event of the AFCA Green Finance Practice Report 2019 and delivered a keynote speech entitled Pursue Green Development and Write a New Chapter of Financial Cooperation. Around 70 representatives were present at the event, including Ms. Catherine McGuinness, Chair of the Policy & Resources Committee at the City of London Corporation, Sir Roger Gifford, Chairman of the City of London Corporation's Green Finance Initiative, and Ye Yanfei, Deputy Director-General of the Policy Research Bureau of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC).
In his speech, Ambassador Liu said China's rapid development has created enormous opportunities for China-UK cooperation, especially in the financial sector. In curbing anti-globalisation and tackling global challenges in environmental governance, green finance is of great importance. First, it is a "new driving force" for deeper financial cooperation. Second, it creates "new opportunities" for China-UK cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative. Third, it offers a "new solution" to global financial governance. The world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. China-UK relationship is at a new historical starting point. Ambassador Liu hopes that the financial community of the two countries will seize the opportunities to expand cooperation, join hands to deepen and substantiate China-UK cooperation on green finance and promote the steady and sustained global cooperation on green finance.
Ms. McGuinness said green development is a global issue that requires the joint efforts of all countries to seek a solution. The City of London has been actively promoting the development of green finance, launching the Green Finance Initiative in 2016 and striving to make the City of London into a global center in Green Finance. Meanwhile, as Executive Deputy Director of AFCA's Green Finance Cooperation Committee, the UK will work closely with China to promote green development in the world.
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AFCA was founded in 2017 with the objective to set up an exchange and cooperation platform for Asian finance organizations, enhance the exchanges among regional finance organizations and the integration of financial resources and maintain the stability of regional finance with joint efforts. In 2018, AFCA established the Green Finance Cooperation Committee which was initiated by the Chinese government, the first ever Asian cooperation platform for green finance.
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