Carbon Economics Salon Explores Green Trade and Carbon Governance Ahead of APEC Meeting
Peking University HSBC Business School (PHBS) and the Institute of Carbon Neutrality at Peking University (ICN-PKU) have hosted the Carbon Economics Salon in Shenzhen, bringing together nearly 100 academics, policymakers and industry representatives to discuss the growing relationship between climate policy, international trade and carbon governance.
Held on 16 June, the event took place ahead of the APEC Forestry Ministerial Meeting scheduled for 27–28 July, where the green transition is expected to be a key topic of discussion.
Themed “Breaking through Green Barriers: Carbon Economy Governance and the Reshaping of International Trade Rules,” the salon focused on three major challenges facing the global low-carbon transition: unilateral climate-related trade measures, uneven development of carbon markets and the increasing role of artificial intelligence in carbon governance.
Opening the event, Peking University Vice President and ICN-PKU Dean Piao Shilong, alongside PHBS Founding Dean Hai Wen, highlighted the need for a more inclusive global carbon governance system. PHBS Dean Wang Pengfei also called for stronger carbon pricing mechanisms and wider use of market-based approaches to support emissions reductions.
The keynote session featured Nobel Prize-winning economist Thomas J. Sargent, honorary director of the PHBS Sargent Institute of Quantitative Economics and Finance. Sargent argued that uncertainty surrounding climate change should encourage earlier investment in green research and development, emissions reduction technologies and forest conservation.
Jiang Kejun, Professor and Head of the Carbon Neutrality and Climate Change programme at HKUST (Guangzhou), identified the period between 2030 and 2035 as a critical phase for China’s energy transition, driven by continued expansion of renewable energy generation and electric vehicle adoption.
Wu Dengsheng, Professor at Shenzhen University, presented an overview of carbon economics research, noting that China now ranks second globally in the number of academic publications in the field.
The conference also included two roundtable discussions examining the impact of unilateral climate policies on international trade, the development of fair carbon markets and opportunities to strengthen cooperation with countries in the Global South.
Closing the event, ICN-PKU Vice Dean Zhang Haibin reaffirmed the importance of continued collaboration between researchers, policymakers and industry to advance carbon governance and support China’s dual carbon goals.
Organisers said the discussions highlighted how carbon governance is increasingly influenced by international trade rules, technological innovation and global cooperation, themes expected to remain central as APEC economies continue expanding regional climate collaboration.
