The inaugural Sustainable Markets Initiative China Forum will bring together CEOs, innovators and senior government officials for a dialogue on global efforts to drive sustainable transition and showcase advances in innovation, investment and action in China
LONDON and BEIJING, July 15, 2025 -- A groundbreaking international forum aimed at accelerating the global transition to sustainability will take place in Beijing from July 15 to 17, drawing CEOs from the world's leading companies alongside top Chinese CEOs and senior Government Leaders. It will mark the first time global and Chinese CEOs have gathered in China under the SMI banner, to directly collaborate in driving solutions and accelerating action to support the global transition.
The Sustainable Markets Initiative China Forum, the first of its kind to be held in China, will be hosted jointly by the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) and the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC). Recognizing China's crucial role in the global economy, its growing climate and biodiversity leadership, and the interconnected reality of global supply chains, the SMI China Forum offers a unique CEO-level convening for dialogue and action on sustainable innovation and global cooperation.
The Forum coincides with the 3rd China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE), highlighting China's global leadership in clean energy. As President Xi Jinping noted in an address on climate in April 2025, China has built the world's largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system as well as the largest and most complete new energy industrial chain. It remains the world's largest producer of solar, wind, and hydropower, and is the top investor in clean technologies—surpassing the combined investments of the next ten countries.
The Sustainable Markets Initiative was launched in 2020 by His Majesty King Charles III - then the Prince of Wales. It is now the world's go-to private sector organization for sustainable transition, by facilitating action between world leaders and CEOs to position sustainability at the heart of value creation. In so doing, the SMI seeks to mobilize the trillions of dollars required to achieve a sustainable future and a new era of global prosperity that will last for generations to come.
In October 2021, President Xi Jinping invited His Majesty King Charles III, as Prince of Wales, to address virtually the COP 15 UN Biodiversity Conference in Kunming and to establish the SMI China Council. In August 2022, the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC) became the official host of the Sustainable Markets Initiative's China Council at an inauguration ceremony in which His Majesty as Prince of Wales also participated virtually.
Through the SMI China Council, the SMI has deepened its relationships across industries through win-win partnerships The SMI China Council currently has workstreams covering Health, Energy, Carbon Capture and Storage, Water & Sustainable Finance.
Roundtable discussions during the forthcoming Forum will tackle pressing topics including sustainable supply chains, emissions reduction, electrification, artificial intelligence, and the future of aerospace and space exploration.
Commenting on the inaugural SMI China Forum Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, M.V.O., CEO of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, said: "The inaugural SMI China Forum creates a new bridge between Chinese and international business leaders. Win-win cooperation across borders, industries, supply chains and finance will help accelerate the world's achievement of a sustainable future while seizing transition as the growth story of our time.
Since the establishment of the SMI's China Council four years ago, we have witnessed first-hand the innovative approaches being adopted by business leaders across China. Today, China leads the world in solar, wind and EV capacity and is proving the economic case while demonstrating the speed at which transition results can be achieved."
Speaking at the COP 15 UN Biodiversity Conference in Kunming, His Majesty, as Prince of Wales, previously said, "Chinese culture has long understood, our interrelationship with Nature is critical for our own health and that of everything around us. When we protect lands and Ocean, we in fact protect ourselves."
In his 23 April 2025 speech on climate, President Xi Jinping said "Clear waters and green mountains are just as valuable as gold and silver. Green transformation is not only the essential way to address climate change, but also a new engine for economic and social development. ""[1]
Notes to editors
About the Sustainable Markets Initiative
The Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) is the world's go-to private sector organization for sustainable transition; characterized by our unique brand of 'private sector diplomacy'.
With the vision of our founder, His Majesty King Charles III, and our unique convening power, the SMI facilitates action between world leaders and CEOs to position sustainability at the heart of global value creation.
Together, we seek to mobilize the trillions of dollars required to achieve a sustainable future. Investment at this scale requires global systems-level change with a default sustainable orientation across markets, industries and supply chains. Here, our mandates, the Terra Carta and Astra Carta, provide practical private sector trajectories.
The SMI believes that with bold ambition and courageous leadership, we can seize a new era of global prosperity that will last for generations to come. We call this 'The Growth Story of Our Time'. Read more: www.sustainable-markets.org
