On 23 Sept 2011, IBLF’s partnership programme, the China Business Leaders Forum (CBLF) organised an interactive roundtable titled ‘Practical Approaches to Reducing the Risk of Corruption in Business Operating in China’ at the Renmin University of China.

The invitation-only event - the 18th session of the CBLF - brought together more than 30 senior executives from both major multinational companies and Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to discuss approaches to reducing the risk of corruption. The high-level event was co-hosted by IBLF and the Renmin University of China. View the agenda here.

The event opened with a welcome speech from Professor Keyong Dong, Dean, School of Public Administration at the Renmin University of China, and a video address from Peter Brew, former Director for Asia-Pacific, IBLF. Michelle Gon, Senior Partner, Baker & McKenzie, presented a comprehensive update on recent developments in Chinese and overseas anti-corruption legislation and the increasing risks being faced by companies as a result of a hardening regulatory environment.

"As Chinese companies invest or list abroad, and MNCs continue to develop their investments and sourcing in China, there has been increased exposure to the risk of prosecution for those companies that fail to take adequate safeguards."

The event featured three impressive case studies from distinguished key-note speakers - Mr. Jie Liu, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, China State Construction Engineering Corporation, Mr. Ringo Ng, General Manager, Hilti (China) Ltd and Ms. Charlene Zhu, General Counsel, GE Healthcare China. These presentations shared their personal experience, best practice approaches as well as some practical tools relating to the companies’ compliance and anti-corruption practices.

During the interactive discussion following the presentations, participants were invited to compare and contrast the methods used within their companies to reduce the risk of corruption. Facilitated by Brook Horowitz, IBLF's Director of Business Standards, a number of questions were raised to the speakers who further shared their companies' practices and the efficient measures being used to tackle corruption. The open and heated discussion also touched upon wider themes including:

• What are the management methods and tools which will discourage employees from giving bribes and encourage an atmosphere of transparency and integrity?
• How can companies achieve an optimal balance between control and trust?
• How can companies extend clean business practices to their distributors, agents and suppliers?
• What is the role of business leaders in “setting the tone from the top”?; and lastly,
• How can companies go beyond their own operations and cooperate to improve business environment through collective actions.

After the discussion, Jun Cao, Head of China Programmes, IBLF, shared CBLF’s programmes (ongoing and planned) from 2011 to 2012 with the attendees. She announced a number of new initiatives from CBLF aimed at spreading responsible practices across the Chinese economy and encouraged the active involvement of the business community.

Aili Zhao, Vice President and Global Regional Compliance Officer, Siemens Limited, China, and Professor Keyong Dong summarised the meeting. Attendees expressed they felt 'very much informed and inspired' from the event and would try to apply the knowledge to their work. The agreed consensus was for a strong alliance between the business sector and other stakeholders in order to create significant progress on anti-corruption.