The First Summit on Returning to the Ecosystem and Creating Green Finance Cooperation in 2025

On April 17th, the 2025 First “Return to the Ecosystem · Create Green Finance – Cooperation Summit” kicked off at the Charles Kao International Conference Hall in Hong Kong Science Park. This summit is hosted by the Hong Kong Society for the Return of Culture, aiming to jointly build a “green ecosystem” among the people and achieve resource sharing. The summit attracted nearly 150 domestic and foreign expert representatives to jointly explore the future path of green finance and green zero-carbon development.

 Zhu Wenbo, the president of the Hong Kong Reintegration Cultural Society, declared the conference open. Wu Kejian, honorary president of the Hong Kong Society for Cultural Return, former Secretary for Education of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and Justice of the Peace of Hong Kong, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. He emphasized that the society is committed to telling the stories of Hong Kong and China. Through the integration of culture and economy, it aims to build multiple “blockchain ips” and promote the innovative development and industrial transformation of the “ecosystem” by leveraging green zero-carbon, artificial intelligence, digital assets, and green finance. In his keynote speech, Zhang Jiacheng, the chairperson of the council of the Society, emphasized that the society should make full use of Hong Kong’s status as an international financial center and play the role of a “super connector and super value-added person” among the people of Hong Kong.

The summit conducted in-depth discussions around five major sections: “Green development of energy and carbon, digital financial technology, international rise of traditional Chinese medicine, cultural tourism IP in the Asia-Pacific region, and rural revitalization”. In the green energy, carbon and fintech section, Xiong Jian, the chairman of the New Energy Industry Association of Pudong New Area, Shanghai and vice chairman of the Yangtze River Delta Carbon Neutrality Alliance, delivered a keynote speech, discussing the prospects for the integrated industrial collaboration and innovative development of carbon and energy in the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. Meanwhile, Cui Ningfeng, the chairman of Shanghai Aitao Information Technology Development Co., LTD., donated internationally certified carbon footprint assets, aiming to achieve the “green and zero carbon” goal of the conference. This move has also become a model for the Hong Kong Green and Zero Carbon Summit. Tao Zhirong, a member of the Energy and Carbon Committee of the Hong Kong Cultural Return Society, said that the summit initiated the preparatory meeting for the “International Green and Sustainable Development Fund of the Hong Kong Cultural Return Society”, which will attract diverse investments, focus on low-carbon projects such as renewable energy development, carbon footprint carbon benefits, and carbon capture and utilization, and legally promote carbon coins through blockchain technology, empowering Hong Kong’s dual carbon goals with financial innovation means.

The internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine has become the second highlight of this summit. To meet the huge industrial chain demands of traditional Chinese medicine and promote it to the international stage, the Hong Kong Society for the Return of Culture, in collaboration with the ITM Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research in Laos, the Food and Drug Inspection Department of the Ministry of Health of Laos, and the ICM Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, has conducted multiple rounds of investigations and exchanges. They have focused on the integrated development of “traditional Chinese medicine and traditional medicine” Memorandum of the Cooperation Framework Exchange Meeting was reached. The four sides held a signing ceremony at the summit, taking the lead in bringing traditional Chinese medicine into the “Belt and Road Initiative”, and reaching the first memorandum of understanding on all-round exchanges and cooperation in the traditional Chinese medicine industry chain with Laos, an ASEAN country. This move is not only a crucial step for China’s medical culture, cause and industry to move towards international integrated development, but also lays an important foundation for the cooperation between “traditional Chinese medicine” and ASEAN countries. Professor Leung Ping-chung, director of the Institute of Chinese Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, said that wherever there are Chinese people in the world, there is traditional Chinese medicine. Promoting cooperation and integration between traditional Chinese medicine and “traditional medicine” in ASEAN is of great significance. DR.BROUNXOU KEOHAVONG, Director of the Department of Food and Drug Cooperation of Laos, said that the signing ceremony would build a bridge for the cooperation and industrialization development of “Traditional Chinese medicine and traditional medicine”. Shenzhen Xuzi Technology Co., Ltd. donated the “Traditional Chinese Medicine Pulse Diagnosis Intelligent Treatment Instrument” to Laos.

The rural revitalization section focuses on agriculture, forestry and rural development. Mr. Xiong Wei, the chairman of Guangdong Dafeng Agricultural Group, shared the successful practice of the “Dafeng Model” in rural revitalization, which takes the dual carbon goals as the driving force and regards green finance as the core engine of rural revitalization. The Guangxi Silver Age Economy – Culture, Tourism and Health Care Section explores how to address the needs and expectations of the elderly through innovative and practical means in an aging society, and promote the all-round development of the silver economy. Zhou Jiehang, the director of the Wanlv Lake Management Committee in Heyuan, Guangdong Province, introduced to the conference the story of “The people of Heyuan protecting the water supply to Hong Kong over the past 60 years”, which resonated with the entire audience.

It is worth mentioning that the summit also announced the launch of the 5th Asia-Pacific International Music and Dance Championships (Asia Music Competition) and the 1st Asia-Pacific Ethnic Dance Competition (Asia Dance Competition). Both of these events are significant cultural events in the Asia-Pacific region supported by the World Music Organization WASMB, aiming to promote the innovative development of cultural tourism in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and cities in the Asia-Pacific region through the arts of music and dance.