China and the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Policy Priorities and Business Strategies

Many of China’s most pressing domestic policy priorities—chiefly, poverty alleviation and pollution control—are closely aligned with the 17 goals set in the UN’s 2030 Agenda, and China has a vested interest in achieving permanent, continuous improvements in these areas. Companies, through their commercial and sustainability activities, have a crucial role to play in realizing these goals, but most don’t know how to leverage the opportunities. This report examines the approaches Chinese policy makers are adopting to implement the SDGs, describes the targeted focal areas for each goal, and identifies the government resources that companies can use to assess the relevance of focal areas and their respective aspects for their business.