Before the shovels hit the dirt, before a developer gets construction permits, before an MOU is signed, there exists a huge process of project feasibility, planning, and pre-approval. That process is incredibly complex and costly, but a new Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF) has been established to help. Shuang Liu joins Juliet and Erik on this episode to discuss how this might help kick start and expand the pipeline of more sustainable projects, and her broader goals in working at the World Resources Institute.

Shuang Liu is the China Finance Director and Acting Director at the Sustainable Finance Center at the World Resources Institute. She leads the Center's work on China finance and the Belt and Road Initiative, and works with governments, private financial institutions, NGOs, and other partners to enhance the regulatory framework and provide enabling conditions to shift China's investment to sustainable finance. She holds a master's degree in environmental and resource economics from University College London and a bachelor's in economics from Peking University.

Her article on the Panda Paw Dragon Claw blog is entitled, "Can a Chinese-led multilateral initiative help unlock more sustainable infrastructure in the Global South?"

Recommendations:

Shuang:

• An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic by Daniel Mendelsohn (2018)

Juliet:

• Try to bike more in the summer, or pick up any activity that is good for both yourself and the planet!

Erik:

• Outsourcing Repression episode of the Pekingology podcast with Lynette H. Ong and host Jude Blanchette
• Outsourcing Repression: Everyday State Power in Contemporary China by Lynette H. Ong (2022)