Chinese listed companies have delivered stronger ESC (environmental, social, and governance) performance in general in 2024, showed a report by China Media Group (CMG) on Sunday.
ESG is a set of key indicators used to measure a company's sustainability and social impact. The "2024 ESG Action Report" released by CMG's Financial Program Center offers insights into the ESG development trends of Chinese businesses based on information gathered from 972 out of the 6,471 firms listed in China's A-share market and in Hong Kong.
It also unveiled the top 100 ESG companies ranking, and provided suggestions for the high-quality development of China's ESG standards system.
The average ESG score of the top 100 companies has risen to 77.4, and 20 companies have been graded with five-star excellence, a significant increase from 2023.
Manufacturers account for half of the "Pioneer 100" companies, showing the Chinese manufacturing sector's emphasis on ESG capabilities guided by the idea of high-quality development.
The country's first service platform for ESG information disclosure was also launched that day.
Chinese businesses show enhanced ESC performance in 2024: CMG report
A horse farmer in Kazakhstan's capital of Astana shared his memorable experience living in China and learning Chinese, exemplifying how strengthened diplomatic ties between China and Kazakhstan continuously deepened people-to-people exchanges and achieved results in culture and tourism cooperation.
Ernar came to China in 2014 and studied the Chinese language for six years in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Speaking on horseback with a China Global Television (CGTN) reporter, he stressed that language is a crucial skill due to the increasing involvement of Chinese people and companies in his country.
"A child of my father's friend wanted to learn Chinese in China. I believe Chinese is an important language to learn nowadays," he said.
With deeper official bonds, Kazakhstan has been enjoying a visible increase in Chinese visitors. Ernar also noted that his horse farm business in the suburbs of Astana attracts hundreds of visitors during weekends.
"I heard people speaking Chinese. Then I asked why they were here. I found out that most of them are businesspeople," he said.
He also explained that this year is also the Year of Kazakhstan Tourism in China, and Chinese citizens are allowed to stay in Kazakhstan for up to 30 days for single crossing thanks to the visa-free agreement.
Data shows that Chinese tourists in Kazakhstan have increased more than 10-fold from 2022 to 2023, with many attracted to the country's wide open grasslands.
Kazakh horse farmer embraces flourishing people-to-people exchanges with China
