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Policy Lab

Beyond Green Metrics: Advancing Social and Digital Dimensions of Responsible Business Conduct under China’s National Human Rights Action Plan

ORGANIZED BY

Lanzhou University Law School and Nankai University

15-Sep

09:00-09:45

Meeting Room A

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As responsible business conduct evolves beyond environmental performance, how can companies integrate human rights into green transition and digital transformation? This session examines China's National Human Rights Action Plan (2026 – 2030) as a policy lens for exploring pathways to strengthen corporate responsibility and advance human rights-based business practices.

Overview

Environmental sustainability has long been a central pillar of corporate responsibility and ESG governance in China. The latest National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2026–2030) marks an important step toward integrating green transition, social responsibility, digital governance and emerging human rights issues into a broader responsible business agenda. Focusing on this policy development, this session will bring participants together through an interactive expert dialogue to explore insights from China’s evolving human rights and responsible business practices. It will discuss opportunities and challenges in strengthening the implementation and impact of the Action Plan, as well as advancing the mainstreaming of responsible business conduct among Chinese enterprises.


Who should attend?

This session is designed for policymakers, business leaders, sustainability and ESG professionals, human rights practitioners, civil society representatives, academics and researchers, as well as stakeholders engaged in responsible business conduct in China and the Asia-Pacific region. It will be particularly relevant for those interested in corporate responsibility, human rights due diligence, digital governance, green transition and the implementation of national human rights action plans.


Lab approach

The session will adopt an interactive expert dialogue format, combining moderated discussions with audience engagement. Participants will contribute through questions, reflections and experience-sharing on the practical implementation of responsible business conduct. By bringing together perspectives from policymakers, businesses, academics and other stakeholders, the session will facilitate knowledge exchange on how human rights considerations can be integrated into corporate governance, green transition and digital transformation.


What participants will gain

  1. Insights into China’s evolving responsible business agenda and how the National Human Rights Action Plan (2026–2030) integrates green transition, social responsibility, digital governance and emerging human rights considerations.

  2. A deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges in translating human rights commitments into corporate policies, governance mechanisms and business practices.

  3. Perspectives on how Chinese enterprises and Asia-Pacific stakeholders can advance responsible business conduct in the context of digital transformation, sustainable development and global value chains.

  4. Practical reflections on strengthening multi-stakeholder collaboration to enhance the implementation and impact of national human rights action plans.

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LUO Kaitian

Partner, Anli Partners

Dr. LUO Kaitian is a pioneer of Cross-border Employment Compliance (CEC) and Partner at Anli Partners. He advises on China's CPTPP labor clauses and foreign-related labor matters. Founder of the CEC Alliance (CECA), spanning 50+ jurisdictions, he advances bidirectional compliance​ to translate international standards into actionable ESG and supply chain solutions for enterprises and stakeholders. ILO-certified, bridging academic research and frontline practice in global labor governance.

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DING Peng

Lecturer, Law Faculty, Hubei University of Economics

Dr. DING Peng holds a PhD in Law and is a lecturer at the Law Faculty, Hubei University of Economics. He also serves as a council member of the China Association for the Development of the Cause of Disabled Persons. His main research areas are jurisprudence, human rights law, sustainable development, and disability rights. He was a visiting scholar at the Faculty of Law, University of Oslo, Norway, and the Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong.

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LIANG Xiaohui

Vice Chair, United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development

Dr. LIANG Xiaohui used to be the program coordinator of the Human Rights Master Program at Peking University, China’s first professional human rights education project which was the first to introduce a course on 'Business and Human Rights' (Corporate Social Responsibility). Dr. Liang later joined the Office for Social Responsibility of China National Textile and Apparel Council as Chief Researcher, in charge of the development and promotion of CSC9000T, China’s first voluntary CSR initiative and social responsibility management system. Since 2008, Dr. Liang has been the lead expert in the development of many other Chinese industry-specific CSR/ESG initiatives including for international contractors, ICT, communication, mining, automotive, forestry, internet, and new energy sectors. Meanwhile, he has participated in the development of various international instruments on social responsibility and responsible business initiated by the United Nations, the OECD and ISO. Since 2006, Dr. Liang has taught the course “Business and Human Rights” at Peking University Law School and later in other universities in China, and he is the first Chinese scholar teaching this course in China. Dr. Liang is now also a guest professor of China University of Political Science and Law, China University of Labor Relations and the University College Cork of Ireland. His book “Business and Human Rights: From Legal Regulation to Collaborative Governance” (Peking University Press, 2019) is the first academic monograph on the topic of business and human rights in the Chinese language. In June 2016, Dr. Liang was recognized by the United Nations Global Compact as one of the world’s first ten Pioneers in Sustainable Development Goals. In March 2026, Dr. Liang was appointed as the Asia-Pacific member for the UN Human Rights Council's Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development, becoming the first Chinese expert since the establishment of the mechanism.

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TANG Yingxia

Deputy Director, Center for the Study of Human Rights at Nankai University

Dr. TANG Yingxia is a deputy director of Human Rights Research Center of Nankai University (National Human Rights Education and Training Base) and an associate professor of Nankai University Law School. She holds the position of ISO Registered Expert. Her research areas are BHR and climate change law. She has published four monographs on international climate change law, and more than 60 papers, such as Digital Transformation of Supply Chain and Human Rights Due Diligence, An Empirical Study on Digital Enterprises' Human Rights Policies from the Perspective of BHR, A Typological Study on the Consideration Factors of Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence Legislation, The Criteria for Establishing Causality in Climate Change Litigation.

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LI Zhuolun

Lecturer, Lanzhou University Law School

Dr. LI Zhuolun is a lecturer at the Law School of Lanzhou University, specializing in business and human rights. Since 2020, he has published three monographs and more than 20 peer-reviewed articles on these topics. He has been a visiting scholar at institutions such as the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Wageningen University and Research, and Oslo University.

Speakers

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