Recently, WWF (Switzerland) Beijing Representative Office and Shenzhen One Planet Foundation hosted the “Blue Finance supporting Sustainable Blue Economy” Forum ” at the 2022 China Ocean Economy Expo. During the Forum, WWF published “Blue Finance Report 2022 – Helping the Sustainable Ocean Development “. Mao Qian, director of the International Cooperation, International Institute of Green Finance of Central University of Finance and Economics, was invited to attend this event and participate in the Panel discussion.
Panelists representing relevant government departments, financial institutions, academic institutions, and enterprises discussed the role of blue economy and blue finance towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals”. Experts exchanged their views about China’s marine economy, the overall situation of marine economy development, the innovation of China’s blue financial products, and the status of China’s fisheries finance. Participants also pointed out some practical challenges enterprises in the Chinese blue economy sector face.
Mao Qian shared her views on how fishery finance can support the industry’s sustainable development. She presented the latest research results of the joint work between IIGF and the WWF Beijing Representative Office of WWF (Switzerland). She pointed out that the coverage of fisheries-related financial services in China is relatively limited, and there is still a shortage of financial support promoting sustainable development of the fisheries industry. Fisheries finance has three main characteristics: policy-driven development, a significant disparity between supply and demand, and insufficient incorporation of sustainability aspects. Mao Qian also explained how fisheries finance can support sustainable development. The main pathways for the industry include the digitalization and informatization of the fisheries industry, strengthening the innovation of fisheries-related financial products and services, and implementing the combination of fisheries finance and sustainable development concepts.
This Forum invited more than 50 people from government departments, research institutions, financial institutions, ocean-related enterprises, and other blue finance-related industries. This Forum is an excellent platform for strengthening cooperation between all various stakeholders to promote leadership in China’s sustainable blue economy and create a new chapter of sustainable blue finance together.