In an episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, Dr. Ma Jun discusses the development of sustainable finance in China and its implications for the global energy transition.
Dr. Ma is the former Chief Economist of the People’s Bank of China and a key architect of the country’s early green finance guidelines and green bond standard. He also served as Co-Chair of the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group. He currently serves as President of the Beijing-based Institute of Finance and Sustainability, Chairman and President of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association, and Chairman of the Capacity-building Alliance of Sustainable Investment (CASI).
In the interview, Dr. Ma explains why sustainable finance has expanded in China and globally. He also highlights how green technologies are becoming commercially viable and can be deployed at scale. In China, for example, he notes that electric vehicles account for 60% of car sales.
“Fundamentally, I think the momentum is there because a lot of green activities have become economically viable,” he says. “They are no longer slogans and for cosmetic PR reasons, but they are actually making money.”
Dr. Ma also discusses how geopolitical conflicts are influencing energy transition strategies. He describes renewable energy as the “ultimate form of energy security,” arguing that energy crises strengthen the case for accelerating renewable energy development—and that financing must follow.
