CIE & HeXie Fifth Industry Insight Forum Successfully Held

On 17 July 2026, the fifth Industry Insight Forum, organised by the College of Industry-Entrepreneurs (CIE) and the HeXie Management Research Centre (HeXie Academy), co-organised by the International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) and supported by the Caixin ESG 30 Young Scholar Programme, was held at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU). The forum, themed “Responsible Global Expansion: ESG Challenges and Governance Transformation for Chinese Companies in the Minerals Sector,” brought together representatives from enterprises, environmental organisations, international consultancies, and academia to exchange insights on responsible supply chains, overseas ESG governance and organisational resilience. Discussions centred on how Chinese companies can achieve more sustainable and resilient development in an increasingly complex global environment.

The forum was hosted by Dr. Chenyang He, Assistant Professor at CIE and HeXie Academy, who outlined the background and agenda. She noted that the forum aimed to bring together diverse perspectives through keynote speeches and roundtable dialogues, offering insights into the ESG challenges and governance pathways facing Chinese mineral companies in the context of globalisation.

Against the backdrop of rapidly evolving global supply chains and international governance frameworks, ESG has evolved from a corporate social responsibility concept into a key factor shaping international cooperation, supply chain management and global competitiveness. By encouraging dialogue across sectors, the forum sought to strengthen connections between academic research and industrial practice while offering fresh perspectives on enhancing Chinese companies' global governance capabilities.

From Compliance to Competitive Advantage

Professor. Lei Liang from CIE and HeXie Academy welcomed participants and noted that the forum closely aligns with the College and Centre's long-standing focus on sustainable development, industrial innovation and corporate governance. He expressed the hope that cross-sector dialogue would foster mutual learning between academia and industry and contribute to new approaches for responsible global expansion by Chinese enterprises.

During the keynote session, Ms. Meng Li, Project Lead of the Green Supply Chain CITI Index at the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs (IPE), delivered a presentation titled “Responsible Development of Transition Minerals Calls for Greater Information Disclosure.” Drawing on practical experience in environmental transparency, supply chain governance and multi-stakeholder collaboration, she highlighted that information disclosure has become a critical foundation for building sustainable global mineral supply chains.

The first roundtable, “Building Responsible Supply Chains – ESG Management, Transparency, and International Standards,” featured Mr. Yijie Chen (Head of ESG at Farizon New Energy Commercial Vehicle Group), Mr. Keli Liu (Deputy Director of China Compliance at Leschaco (China) Ltd.), Ms. Meng Li, Ms. Xiufen Li ( Supply Chain ESG Manager at GoodWe Technologies Co., Ltd.), and Ms. Wenjun Zhu (Head of Sustainability Services for Greater China at TÜV SÜD). The panellists discussed supply chain ESG practices, transparency, alignment with international standards, and supplier collaboration. A broad consensus emerged that responsible supply chains require coordinated efforts among upstream and downstream enterprises, professional bodies, and civil society organisations. Information disclosure should be grounded in accuracy and compliance, balancing enhanced transparency and verifiability with due regard for commercial confidentiality and data security.

Global Expansion Requires Stronger Governance

As Chinese enterprises continue expanding overseas, they face not only new market opportunities but also increasingly complex regulatory environments, governance systems and stakeholder relationships.

In his keynote speech, Sustainable Practices for Building Resilience in Chinese Mining Companies, Mr Colin Zhu, Senior Consultant at SLR Consulting, explored supply chain due diligence, risk management and long-term organisational resilience, highlighting how sustainability practices can strengthen companies' ability to respond to an increasingly uncertain global environment.

The second roundtable discussion, "Going Global: Overseas ESG Governance and Risk Management for Chinese Mining Companies," featured experts from the mining and new energy sectors together with sustainability professionals. Discussions focused on overseas ESG governance, risk identification, organisational capability, stakeholder engagement and the institutional differences across host countries. Participants agreed that ESG management should move beyond passive compliance and become embedded within long-term corporate governance and risk management. They also highlighted the importance of understanding local institutional and cultural contexts, maintaining ongoing dialogue with employees and communities, and creating shared value to strengthen trust and resilience in overseas operations.

Competitive Advantage Comes from Dialogue and Co-Creation

From responsible supply chains to overseas governance, and from information transparency to organisational resilience, the forum highlighted an important shift in the way Chinese enterprises compete globally. Competitive advantage is increasingly defined not only by products, technologies and costs, but also by governance capability, responsible leadership and the ability to create value collaboratively with diverse stakeholders. In this context, ESG is no longer simply a response to external requirements—it has become an essential capability for strengthening global competitiveness.

The Industry Insight Forum focuses not only on emerging industry topics, but also on the deeper forces driving industrial transformation. For the College of Industry-Entrepreneurs and the HeXie Management Research Centre, the challenges of global expansion are fundamentally challenges of governing complex systems, requiring continuous dialogue among enterprises, governments, universities, professional institutions and wider society. The College and Centre believe that technological innovation alone does not drive industrial progress; meaningful advancement depends equally on sustained dialogue, shared learning and co-creation across sectors. Through the Industry Insight Forum, CIE and HeXie Academy will continue to explore real industrial challenges, transform dialogue into insight, and foster innovation through cross-sector collaboration.