Beijing, 16–17 July 2025

BEIJING, July 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- APEC seminar on "Promoting Green Jobs and Resilient Development by Enhancing the Capacity Building of Sustainable Entrepreneurs" was held on 16 - 17 July 2025, at Tsinghua Science Park, Beijing, China. Organized jointly by National Entrepreneurship Research Center, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University and Tus-Holdings Co., Ltd., the event convened government officials, scholars and industry experts from 14 APEC economies, including Australia, Canada, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Singapore,  Korea, Thailand, United States, and etc., to share best practices and explore the effective pathways for promoting sustainable entrepreneurship across the APEC region.

Opening Remarks 

Mr. Jiang Wei, Deputy Director General of International Cooperation Department in Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of China, stressed that green jobs and sustainable entrepreneurship are critical levers for high-quality employment and economy-wide green transition. He outlined China's three-pronged approach: (1) embedding "dual-carbon" goals in national strategy and green-growth frameworks; (2) reskilling and redeploying workers in traditional sectors such as coal through retraining grants, severance top-ups and green-industry funds; and (3) integrating 134 green occupations into the national occupational classification—more than 8 % of the total—while scaling up green-skills training nationwide. 

Mr. KIM Minkyu, representative of 2025 APEC presidency of Korea，Labor Attaché Counsellor in Embassy of the Republic of Korea in China, highlighted sustainable entrepreneurship as essential for inclusive and resilient growth and the effort of Korea as 2025 presidency to deepen APEC collaboration on green-job creation amid geopolitical uncertainties. 

Mr. Wang Jiwu, Chairman of TusHoldings Co., Ltd. reiterated the company's commitment to leveraging Tsinghua Science Park as a global innovation hub and to sharing resources and experience with APEC members to accelerate technological upgrading worldwide. 

Prof. GAO Jian, Director of National Entrepreneurship Research Center, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, noted that this was the first APEC meeting dedicated to capacity building of sustainable entrepreneurs. He emphasized youth as the primary entrepreneurial force and called for continued improvement of inclusive, resilient entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Keynote Speech

Prof. Donna Kelley, Frederic C. Hamilton Chair of Free Enterprise in Babson College, and head of Global Entrepreneurship Monitor team in USA, demonstrated through cross-economies indices that GDP level does not automatically translate into superior social and environmental performance. GEM data reveal that more than three quarters of entrepreneurs in China and Thailand already take SDG-oriented actions. This figure stands in a contrast with several high-income economies, which reflects the difference of regional incentives mechanism and culture background.

Mr. Chen Hongbo, Executive Senior Vice President of TusHoldings Co., Ltd., President of the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP), introduced Tus-Holdings'"Four Step Theory" for building sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystems, which is resource gathering, integration and cooperation, prioritizing target areas, and generating innovative outcome. 

Mr. Mou Rui, on behalf of National Entrepreneurship Research Center, launched the report "The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Capacity Building of Sustainable Entrepreneurship in APEC Economies". Based on surveys and policy reviews across 16 APEC economies, four recommendations are proposed in the report as: (1) an APEC Sustainable Entrepreneurship Platform for policy learning and industry cooperation; (2) dedicated financing facilities; (3) an APEC Sustainable Entrepreneurship Academy for scaled-up, quality training; and (4) enhanced policy coordination, evaluation and data sharing.

Panel discussions

The Seminar includes four session with following topics:
1. Creating More Green Jobs – Policies and Scaling Strategies for Green Tech Startups
2. Skills Upgrading for Entrepreneurship and Employment in the Context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
3. Enhancing the Resilience of Startups through Digital and Green Transition
4. Challenges and Opportunities for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities in the Digital and Green Transition

Characterized by broad representation and a diverse range of participants, the seminar set up a multi-level, cross-sector platform for international cooperation and exchange. China's innovative practices in green entrepreneurship and green employment, together with Chinese entrepreneurs' proactive efforts to align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, offered all APEC economies the valuable insights on how to turning sustainable development from vision into action.