XJTLU researcher selected for China ESG30 Young Scholars Programme

The ESG30 Young Scholars Programme (2025–2026), launched by Caixin Insight and China ESG30 Forum, has announced the winners. Among them is a project led by Dr Jiawei Hai, Assistant Professor at XJTLU’s Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub, with team member Fanpei Liu, a Year Three undergraduate from the School of AI and Advanced Computing at XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang). The project brings together researchers from XJTLU, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), and the National University of Singapore.

 ESG30 Young Scholars visit Tencent’s Beijing headquarter

Dr Hai’s project, “Chinese AI Companies’ Global Expansion and ESG Innovation”, addresses a key gap in global AI development – its uneven spread across regions, also called “diffusion deficit”. It looks at how Chinese AI firms can combine business growth with ESG (environmental, social, and governance) practices as they expand abroad. The study also examines how partnerships with Global South countries can support more sustainable and inclusive development worldwide.

His team proposes an integrated “technology-energy-governance” model. By combining three key ESG pillars – sustainable computing power, inclusive algorithms, and data democratisation – they aim to turn advanced technologies into accessible, widely beneficial solutions. As Dr Hai explains, these pillars are not just add-ons to business development, but essential foundations for sustainable innovation in the AI era.

Dr Jiawei Hai

 ESG30 Young Scholars Programme kick-off seminar

Bridging theory and practice

Theoretical research is strengthened by real-world insight. As part of the programme’s “Knowledge-in-Action Exploration Tour (North China)”, Dr Hai, Fanpei Liu, and their team visited organisations including Beijing Foton Cummins, China Construction Bank, Tencent, Mengniu Dairy, and the China Beijing Green Exchange. The two-day tour featured in-depth discussions with industry practitioners.

Going forward, the research team plans to deepen the integration of theory and practice through further field studies in different regions in China, aiming to explore how technological innovation can serve a global future that is inclusive, sustainable, and accessible to all.

From left: Dr Jiawei Hai; Weiqiang Zhu, Vice President of Caixin Media; and Fanpei Liu

 Fanpei Liu trying out a palm-recognition access at Tencent’s Beijing headquarter

 ESG30 Young Scholars at the data centre of China Construction Bank

The ESG30 Young Scholars Programme is a prestigious initiative in China’s ESG sector. It promotes integrated ESG solutions across technology, capital, markets, and policy, bringing together advisors from academia, industry, and government to support young scholars. This year, the programme attracted applications from Tsinghua University, Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; Lancaster University, UK; University College Dublin, Ireland; and more.

By XJTLU’s Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub

Edited by Xinmin Han

Translated by Xiangyin Han

Photos by XJTLU’s Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub