The inaugural Tsinghua-PAA Impact Summit gathers senior leaders from China and beyond, across philanthropy, business and government, in Beijing this October. Co-hosted by Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management and Philanthropy Asia Alliance, the Summit offers an inside look at how China is responding to shared global challenges with innovation and scale, and serves as a platform for mutual learning and dialogue between Asia and the world.
Participation is by invitation only. For enquiries, please contact events@philanthropyasiaalliance.org.
09:30 - 10:00
10:00 - 10:15
China's national development is progressing at a scale and pace that carries lessons far beyond its borders. As social and environmental impact takes shape through policy, business, and community, the pathways connecting these spheres are becoming more complex and consequential.
This keynote offers a policy-informed perspective on how impact is defined and delivered in China, and considers philanthropy's evolving role. It aims to deepen contextual understanding for engaging with China amidst a rapidly shifting global environment, and broadens the understanding of how diverse impact pathways can contribute to inclusive and sustainable development.
10:15 - 11:00
China sits at the intersection of dense urbanisation and large-scale agriculture, making it vulnerable to One Health challenges such a zoonotic spillovers and AMR. At the same time, it is emerging as a driver of global healthcare innovation across the value chain. This panel will discuss how China is innovating in frontier One Health areas and how funding can support translation of breakthroughs into systems change.
11:00 - 11:15
11:15 - 12:00
12:00 - 12:45
China is playing a defining role in the global climate transition, not only as a source of technological innovation but as one of the world’s most powerful engines for deploying renewables at scale. This panel will explore the conditions for speed and scale in renewable energy and electrification frontiers in China, as well as how momentum towards a green and just transition may be accelerated.
12:45 - 13:00
This fireside chat convenes trusted global voices and veteran leaders with experience across China and the rest of the world to recap the innovations that have shaped global development and consider the lessons we can bring into the future.
Speakers will offer personal reflections on what it takes to build meaningful cross-border partnerships and navigate differing perspectives on impact. The morning then closes by identifying opportunities for collective action and how collaboration can shape sustainable development on a global scale.
13:00 - 14:00
14:15 - 15:45
Human, animal, and environmental health sit along a single continuum, yet the pressure points where they converge are often examined in isolation. This roundtable brings together voices from global health and philanthropy to identify where those pressures build and how they might be alleviated. Designed for delegates interested in exploring how philanthropy can work more closely with private and public sectors to shift from reactive disease control towards preventative One Health practice.
14:15 - 15:45
This session complements the morning plenary on the future of work to map the womb to workforce arc and pinpoint where education and education-adjacent investments earlier may reap the greatest long-term dividends. Facilitated table exercises ideate the acupuncture points where philanthropy can absorb risk, fund prevention, and connect silos through upstream interventions.
14:15 - 15:45
Climate innovation and lived impact do not always advance together, and the space between them is where philanthropy's role becomes most visible. This interactive workshop maps the broader human and ecological systems shaped by the energy transition, to surface where philanthropy must act to ensure that a greener future is also a more equitable one.
14:15 - 15:45
Technologies are only as transformative as the ecosystems that incubate and invest in them. Beginning with a panel featuring speakers with deep experience in developing impact startups and social innovators, the session then spotlights emerging and established AI and tech solutions in climate, health, and inclusive development – offering the chance for investors across the capital spectrum to interact with some of the most promising solutions and companies in the Chinese ecosystem.
16:00 - 17:00
• A shuttle service will run between Shangri-La Beijing to Tsinghua University on 15 October. More details will be provided to registered delegates ahead of the Summit.
• Guests can also choose to make their own way to the venue. Please note that the organisers will not be liable for any delays encountered at the entrance.
• Nearest Station: Wudaokou Station (Line 13)
• From Wudaokou Station (Line 13): Take Exit A or B, then either walk about 10–15 minutes toward the university's South Gate or hop on local buses (like bus 549) to alight at Qinghuayuan.
• Key Stop: Qinghuayuan
• Local bus lines such as 549 stop right by the university's South Gate entrance.