On the afternoon of September 24, 2024, Wang Shi led the Biosphere 3 delegation to the Rockefeller Center in New York for an in-depth exchange with David Rockefeller Jr., leader of the Rockefeller family, and his wife Susan Rockefeller. The talks centered on issues such as sustainable development and corporate social responsibility.
This event brought together outstanding representatives from diverse sectors, including LONGi from the new energy field, China Vanke and DTEC from the green building sector, Cloud Cool AI from the artificial intelligence industry, the Energy Storage Leaders Alliance from the energy storage domain, Horizon Auto from the automotive industry, DaZhuang Bamboo from the bamboo sector, and the Dongrun Public Welfare Foundation from the philanthropy field. They shared their insights into and practical experience with sustainable development.
In addition, Orkhan Mirzayev, Finance Director of COP29, also attended the event and briefed the participants on the background and objectives of COP29. As a major international conference, COP29 aims to advance global climate action.
David Rockefeller Jr. took Rockefeller Center as the starting point to review the family’s development history and the evolution of its values. He mentioned that the family had gradually shifted its focus from the oil industry to the fields of finance and philanthropy, achieving diversified development. Throughout this process, philanthropy and environmental protection have always been the two core pillars guiding the family’s initiatives. He also emphasized the Rockefeller family’s focus on ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) investments, and expressed his eagerness to visit China again for exchanges, with a view to exploring new opportunities for China-US cooperation.
Wang Shi, founder of China Vanke and Shenshi Group as well as Chairman of the Vanke Foundation for Philanthropy, expressed profound admiration for the Rockefeller family’s century-long heritage and borderless philanthropy. He pointed out: “Entrepreneurs have embarked on the path of global integration. No matter where we are, as long as we are willing to take responsibility for the country we are in and even the entire planet, we are bound to meet the Rockefeller family again. From the Rockefeller family, we can fully feel the embodiment of courage and social responsibility, and thus have every reason to believe that the future is full of hope.”
The Rockefeller Foundation, established in 1913, is committed to the cause of “promoting human well-being worldwide”. It has played an active role in numerous fields such as public health, education, culture, art and the environment, opening a new chapter in modern philanthropy. Among its early grant-making programs, it included cooperation with China to support the establishment of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, which greatly promoted the development of modern medicine in China.
In 2018, during his New Year’s Eve speech at the Water Cube, Wang Shi invited Susan Rockefeller and Ma Jingfen, wife of Chu Shijian, to attend the event as representatives of Chinese and American entrepreneurs. In 2024, Susan Rockefeller also visited Biosphere 3 to gain an in-depth understanding of the park’s carbon neutrality philosophy and practical achievements.
