Cooperation urged for sustainable growth

To advance sustainable development, the world needs regional cooperation, particularly in managing shared resources, and global challenges should be addressed through cooperation rather than conflict, business leaders and scholars said at a United Nations event.

Li Junhua, UN under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs, said on Sunday the world is at a crucial juncture in its journey toward achieving the 2030 Agenda. "However, our progress toward most of the SDG goals has been faltering. Only 12 percent of the SDG targets are on track; progress on 50 percent is insufficient or regressed," Li said.

Jeffrey Sachs, an economist and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, told the UN Sustainable Development Goals Summit on innovation for industrial sustainability that comprehensive and long-term planning is critical in addressing global challenges, particularly in areas like decarbonization, sustainable resource management and infrastructure development.

Sachs said China has the most effective planning instruments in the world, particularly its five-year planning cycles, and he suggested that China should share its planning expertise with the world.

He highlighted the importance of international initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Energy Interconnection proposal in advancing sustainable development.

"If you listen to some countries like the one I happen to live in, the region's divided into blocs: Pro-China and anti-China. This is ridiculous," he said.

The summit also highlighted Chinese companies' concerted push toward net-zero goals, offering invaluable insights to global counterparts.

Wu Yonghua, executive director of the board and co-CEO of ANTA Sports, said ANTA is taking the lead in accelerating and implementing sustainability practices in the supply chain.

Judy Fong-Yee Tu, executive director and vice-president of China Feihe, said energy saving and carbon reduction have become the latest buzzwords in manufacturing, but implementation remains challenging. "Businesses must come together to accelerate technology breakthroughs and explore practical solutions for sustainable development," Tu said.

Held every four years, the SDG summit represents the UN's highest level of discussions on sustainable development.