Guidance by government, business and civil Society

Government measures

Guidelines for Ecological and Environmental Protection in Foreign Investment and Cooperation Projects
Ministry of Ecology and Environment and Ministry of Commerce, 6 January 2022

Administrative Measures for Approval and Record-filing of Overseas Investment Projects Revised
The National Development and Reform Commission, 08 May 2014 [only available in Chinese]

Guidance on Environmental Protection in Foreign Investment and Cooperation
The Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MOFCOM), 18 February 2013

Interim Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Overseas Investment by Central Enterprises
The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) of the State Council, 01 May 2012

Industry initiatives

Regional: Developing an Accountability Mechanism Framework for Financial Intermediaries
Asia Development Bank, November 2019

Chinese Due Diligence Guidelines for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains
China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals & Chemicals Importers & Exporters, 2016

Guidelines for Social Responsibility in Outbound Mining Investments
China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals & Chemicals Importers & Exporters, 2014

Social Responsibility Guide for Chinese Electronic and Information Industry
The Social Responsibility Committee of the Chinese Electronics Standardization Association (CESA), August 2012 [Unofficial title translation by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, only available in Chinese]

Notice of the CBRC on Issuing the Green Credit Guidelines
The China Banking Regulatory Commission, 24 February 2012

Implementation Measures of China International Contractors of Levels and Sectors Guiding Principles
China International Contractors Association, 01 December 2012 [Unofficial title translation by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, only available in Chinese]

Extractives in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Managing sustainable development - guidance for business
CSR Asia, 2014

Chinese Guidelines for Sustainable Overseas Investment in Agriculture
Oxfam, China Association for the Promotion of International Agricultural Cooperation (etc.), May 2018 (Available in Chinese only)

Guidance for Sustainable Natural Rubber
China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals & Chemicals Importers & Exporters, 2017

NGO & academic guidance and commentary

Note: See also sector-specific material on Extractives / Construction (including dam-building) / Agriculture / Apparel / ICT

Centro de derechos econonómicos y sociales (Ecuador):
Manual Legal Sobre Regulaciones Ambientales Y Sociales Chinas Para Los Préstamos e Inversiones en el Exterior – Un Guía para las Comunidades Locales [also avaiable in English] Chinese translation forthcoming

Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Commerce Research Center of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, United Nations Development Programme China:

2015 Report on the Sustainable Development of Chinese Enterprises Overseas, November 2015

Global Witness:

Tackling conflict minerals – How a new Chinese initiative can address Chinese companies’ risk

World Resources Institute:

China Overseas Finance Inventory Database, 22 February 2022

The Environmental and Social Policies of Chinese Overseas Investments: Progress and Challenges, Denise Leung, Yingzhen Zhao, Athena Ballesteros and Tao Hu, May 2013

Managing Environmental Impact International Experience and Lessons in Risk Management for Overseas Investments, Tao Hu, Yingzhen Zhao, Lihuan Zhou and Denise Leung, July 2013 (only available in Chinese)

International Institute for Sustainable Development:

Chinese Outward Investment: An Emerging Policy Framework, Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder, Lise Johnson, and Jianping Zhang, 2013

Inclusive Development International:

Safeguarding communities and the environment in Chinese investments, March 2017

How To Hold Chinese Corporations Accountable, September 2022