According to the Monetary Authority of Singapore press release on April 21, 2023, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the People’s Bank of China (PBC) announced the establishment of the China-Singapore Green Finance Taskforce (GFTF). The GFTF will deepen bilateral cooperation in green and transition finance between Singapore and China and facilitate greater public-private sector collaboration to better meet Asia’s needs as it transitions to a low carbon future.
At the inaugural meeting hosted in Chongqing, the GFTF discussed joint initiatives aimed at scaling up green and transition financing flows between Singapore, China and the region. The GFTF will establish three initial workstreams to focus on the following priority areas:
- Taxonomies and Definitions: MAS and PBC will work together under the International Platform on Sustainable Finance (IPSF) to achieve interoperability between the Singapore and China taxonomies, and will collaborate subsequently to enhance the use of the IPSF’s Common Ground Taxonomy, as well as deepen understanding of transition activities defined by China and Singapore.
- Products and Instruments: Singapore Exchange and China International Capital Corporation will establish a workstream to strengthen sustainability bond market connectivity between China and Singapore, including the issuances of and mutual access to green and transition bond products in China and Singapore.
- Technology: Metaverse Green Exchange and Beijing Green Exchange will establish a workstream that leverages technology to facilitate sustainable finance adoption, including piloting of digital green bonds with carbon credits.
The GFTF is co-chaired by MAS’ Assistant Managing Director (Development and International) and Chief Sustainability Officer, Ms Gillian Tan, and Chair of the China Green Finance Committee, Dr Ma Jun. Memberscomprise senior representatives and sustainable finance experts from financial institutions and green FinTech companies from Singapore and China.
Ms Tan said at the meeting, “We are pleased to deepen our collaboration in green and transition finance with the establishment of the GFTF. The GFTF provides a platform for knowledge exchange and will galvanise collaboration between public-private participants from China and Singapore on concrete initiatives that will catalyse capital flows to support a credible and inclusive transition to a low carbon future for our countries and the region.”
The IPSF’s Common Ground Taxonomy, first published in November 2021 and updated in June 2022, provides an in-depth comparison that puts forward areas of commonality and differences between the EU and China’s green taxonomies.
See Annex for list of GFTF members.
