CDF Voice｜Sharon Thorne：Share recovery opportunities with professionalism and trust

The “CDF Voice” column aims to bring together business leaders and convey the voices of the forum delegates.

Since its launch in 2000, CDF have upheld its mandate of “Engaging with the world for common prosperity”.

At present, the economic recovery is still fragile, and the impact of the COVID-19 and geopolitical crisis is continuing. Although China’s economic recovery is improving, lackluster demand, slow recovery in labor market and global supply chain adjustments and other pressures are still present.

The world is experiencing unprecedented change, how do foreign enterprises in China view China's development? How can foreign enterprises grasp the opportunities and challenges in the Chinese market? What insights do they have about China's future economic recovery and social development?

As the 2023 annual meeting of the China Development Forum is about to be held, the "CDF Voice" column invites representatives of global enterprises to discuss the above topics.

The guest of CDF Voice today is Sharon Thorne, Chair of the Deloitte Global Board of Directors.

Hello! Da Jia Hao

It is a great honour to attend the China Development Forum, to meet with leaders of the new central government and all the delegates in person, and jointly discuss major topics of international cooperation under the theme of China’s economic recovery and shared opportunities.

China's aspiration for modernisation requires cooperation based on professionalism and trust.

For the past century, Deloitte has been committed to providing China with world-class professional services as a globally connected and locally rooted firm. Today, China is one of Deloitte’s most important markets, and a vital hub for Deloitte’s global professional network from which we serve clients, cultivate talent and positively contribute to society.

Deloitte’s Chinese partners and nearly 20,000 Chinese employees have been entrusted by companies we audit to provide assurance to their shareholders and for advisory clients from China and all over the world to create exceptional value for them, and contribute to the development of China’s high-quality service industry.

Since 2003, Deloitte has established the Global Chinese Services Group, composed of more than 3,000 professionals in over 90 countries to provide comprehensive support for Chinese companies that are expanding globally, and multinationals investing and growing in China.

Deloitte has brought together 1,500 digital assets and more than 120 innovation alliance partners from around the world, as well as our digital technology company in Pudong, Shanghai, to empower the digital transformation of clients across all industries and sectors in China.

To support the international standing of Hong Kong, Deloitte has launched the three-year INspire Hong Kong strategy with an investment of HKD1 billion to improve service innovation and promote confidence amongst international investors and partners in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. And, in Beijing, Deloitte University is investing nearly 1 billion yuan in building a world-class learning centre for developing professional talents and leadership capabilities.

Deloitte is committed to working with clients and suppliers to support China’s green development goals. Deloitte has continued to strengthen its service capabilities in ESG, carbon management and climate change, both globally and regionally. Globally we have invested US$1bn in our climate & sustainability services and last year we launched Deloitte CarbonCare Asia to help Chinese and other Asian clients achieve sustainability goals and excel in high-standard disclosures.

Deloitte’s global social impact initiative, WorldClass, is focused on education and skills development in the community to empower people who might otherwise be left behind by modernisation. Through WorldClass, Deloitte is proud to support rural revitalisation in China. Since its launch in China in 2019, this initiative has already benefited 3.1 million people from rural areas across the country. We are leveraging our professional knowledge and capabilities to help improve education, create jobs, and empower children and young people in rural areas. Our goal is to positively impact 15 million rural people in China by 2030.

International cooperation, based on professionalism and trust, will provide invaluable support for China’s high-quality economic development and high-level opening up. It will also reduce concerns of selective decoupling and supply chain changes, and promote the globalisation of the economy. By leveraging our multidisciplinary model capabilities, Deloitte will continue to help Chinese government and business clients to achieve sustained success in the new era.

I look forward to meeting you in Beijing to explore cooperation opportunities, and I wish the China Development Forum great success!