China's Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) and Shanghai International Energy Exchange (INE) have recently been officially approved to join the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges (UNSSE) Initiative, becoming the first commodity futures exchanges in the country to participate in this global initiative.
An official from the SHFE said that the institution will further boost the development of technology finance, green finance, inclusive finance, pension finance, and digital finance following its joining the UN initiative.
In addition, the SHFE plans to actively support the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and integrate the best global practices in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria into its operations, the official said.
Meanwhile, the SHFE will actively offer guidance to global derivatives exchanges on how to effectively implement sustainability goals to enhance the international influence of China's futures market, the official added.
Launched in 2009, the UNSSE Initiative aims to foster dialogue and mutual learning among exchanges worldwide, enhance cooperation between exchanges and market participants, and promote best practices in supporting sustainable development.
The initiative also seeks to improve ESG performance and encourage sustainable investment, including financing initiatives that contribute to the achievement of the UN SDGs.
China's exchanges join UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative
China has stepped up efforts to optimize the layout of its future industries since the beginning of the year, with breakthroughs accelerating in frontier technologies from advanced robotics to orbiting data centers.
In 2026, a series of landmark projects have taken shape across the country. In Beijing, preparations are underway for the country's first space computing innovation center. The areas of research at the center will aim to gradually relocate ground-based data centers to outer space to enable data collection, processing and output in orbit. China has also issued plans to accelerate the development and improvement of the space computing industrial ecosystem this year.
In Shanghai, the world's first pilot platform for humanoid robot components is taking shape. By establishing small-scale trial production lines for five categories of components, including reducers, the platform offers 72 testing and verification services, significantly lowering the development threshold for humanoid robots.
Since the beginning of 2026, China has launched over 100 innovation and research tasks for future industries through its open competition mechanism, focusing on general artificial intelligence, quantum technology, atomic-level manufacturing and clean low-carbon hydrogen energy. Key areas of application have been identified, while manufacturing innovation centers and pilot platforms in priority fields have been established to speed up the translation of cutting-edge technologies from laboratories to production lines.
The momentum is also evident in the clean energy sector. In north China's Shanxi Province, hydrogen-powered shared bicycles have hit urban streets, while more than 15,000 hydrogen heavy-duty trucks operate on logistics routes. Local authorities are also planning several cross-provincial hydrogen logistics corridors.
To sustain this growth, China will implement tiered nurturing for unicorn enterprises and specialized, sophisticated small and medium-sized enterprises in key sectors this year. The country will also advance the development of future industry pilot zones based on local industrial strengths. To date, some 54,000 innovative businesses nationwide have settled into the country's 193 innovative industrial clusters.
China accelerates layout of future industries in 2026
