On November 1, the ESG Rule of Law Thirty Forum (2025) was successfully held at our university. The forum focused on the theme "Legal Responses to ESG," featuring presentations and discussions by numerous experts and scholars from prestigious institutions such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Wuhan University, China University of Political Science and Law, University of International Business and Economics, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Southeast University, Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics, Capital University of Economics and Business, and Central University of Finance and Economics.
The opening ceremony was chaired by Professor Meng Fei, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Judicial Research Institute, with a keynote address delivered by Professor Zheng Shaohua, Vice President of Shanghai University of Political Science and Law and Director of the Shanghai Judicial Research Institute. Professor Zheng emphasized that ESG has evolved beyond the scope of traditional law and has become a critical factor profoundly influencing the global competitive landscape for enterprises. China is actively promoting the development of green markets and striving to secure a significant share in this arena. This makes sustained and in-depth discussions on ESG issues not only academically valuable but also practically significant. The ESG Rule of Law Thirty Forum will focus on exploring the central theme of "Legal Responses to ESG," and it is hoped that the participating experts and scholars will provide robust support for the advancement of ESG rule of law, thereby contributing to the realization of Chinese modernization.
Professor Ye Wenping from the Law School of Southeast University delivered a speech titled "The Governance Function of Information Disclosure in ESG Litigation." He argued that in the governance of ESG information disclosure, traditional administrative regulation often suffers from diminishing effectiveness due to regulatory lag and enforcement capture, while market self-regulation mechanisms struggle to curb systemic risks because of rating distortions and the inadequacy of soft law. The rise of global ESG litigation indicates a structural shift in information disclosure governance paradigms, moving from a regulatory-centric approach to one empowered by the judiciary. Judicial practice demonstrates that, on one hand, ESG litigation reshapes the governance rules of information disclosure through unique procedural constructs such as litigation models, litigant categories, types of claims, and evidence rules. On the other hand, judicial power, leveraging ESG litigation, intervenes to reconstruct the functional network of information disclosure governance, achieving functions such as rule provision, risk prevention, systemic coordination, and promotion of autonomy, thereby structurally reinforcing traditional governance paradigms. In China, ESG litigation faces challenges such as a lack of substantive rules,lagging procedural mechanisms, and weak technical capabilities, reflecting deeper contradictions in the legal system's responsiveness within a transitional society. Only through reforms in substantive law, breakthroughs in procedural law, and a transformation in judicial methodology can the governance potential of China's judicial power be activated, advancing ESG information disclosure governance from policy-driven approaches to a rule-of-law track.