Shanghai Association of Foreign Investment will keep on building platform for foreign-invested companies to promote corporate social responsibility, said Zhang Rongjie, Vice President of the association during an online chat with Eastday.com on June 27, 2016. She also shared her views on the development of foreign-invested companies in Shanghai.

With the theme "Invest in Green Future", the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Excellence Awards program starting in April has entered the voting phase, in which 80 cases from 72 companies vie for the prizes in three categories (http://english.eastday.com/CSR_eng/index.html). Shanghai Association of Foreign Investment is one of the support units for the event.

Zhang Rongjie said that the scale of foreign-funded enterprises in Shanghai ranks the first in China. Meanwhile, Shanghai constantly improves the ability of absorbing foreign capital these years, with the focus on international advanced technology research and development.

As of the end of March 2016, the number of foreign R&D organizations in Shanghai reached 399 (237 independent ones), accounting for around a quarter of all in Mainland China. The accelerated inflow of foreign innovation capital expands the scale of the city's overall R&D input, with amplifying spillover effect.

Early as 2007, Shanghai Association of Foreign Investment held a city-wide CSR meeting for foreign enterprises, where 50 senior executives advocated corporate social responsibility in different languages. The association also compiled a book on CSR excellent cases in 2011 and presented the copies to the visiting executives.

Former Chairman of the Board of Directors of BASF China said that Shanghai municipal government is on the forefront of promoting corporate social responsibility.

In the on-going CSR Excellence Awards, the cases declared by foreign enterprises occupy a considerable proportion.

Zhang Rongjie noted that foreign companies have the advantages of innovation, R&D, technology and capital while domestic enterprises have channels and resources, thus they can complement each other and improve efficiency. Shanghai, a city with high degree of export-oriented economy must be open-minded and crossover innovative, to realize the goal of building a science and technology innovation center with global influence.

Shanghai Association of Foreign Investment will keep on working as the bridge to help foreign enterprises better into the development of Shanghai, said Zhang.

The 7th Shanghai Research & Development Center Forum will take place this year, with the leading scientist from the world's top 500 companies to be invited to release cutting-edge information in global R&D area.

Besides, the association has set up manager club for corporate social responsibility and volunteer alliance for foreign-funded enterprises in Shanghai. These two platforms will integrate resources of foreign enterprises' social welfare projects and poverty-relief programs, bringing more benefits to Shanghai.