The 2025 G20 Entrepreneurship Roundtable was held in Shanghai on November 4–5 under the theme "Youth Entrepreneurship and Employment: New Engine for Global Development."

The event, the ninth consecutive roundtable hosted by the Entrepreneurship Research Center on G20 Economies at Tsinghua University, was co-hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labour of South Africa and the International Labour Organization.

Lyu Yulin, director-general of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of China, underlined the government's strong commitment to youth employment and entrepreneurship in his opening remarks. He said China is improving the ecosystem for entrepreneurship as an effective way to create jobs, by building a comprehensive support system covering entrepreneurship training, services, incubation, and activities.

Lyu recalled that at the 19th G20 Summit last November, President Xi Jinping announced eight actions to support global development, including support for the work of the G20 Entrepreneurship Research Center based in Beijing. He added that the roundtable is an effective means of supporting global development and advancing the implementation of the 2025 G20 Labour and Employment Ministerial Declaration.

Professor Yang Bin, vice chairperson of the University Council of Tsinghua University, noted that enhancing youth entrepreneurship and enabling young people to fully develop their creativity are crucial to national development. He hoped that the delegates would share practices, exchange insights, and explore together to shape new models that allow youth entrepreneurship and employment to more effectively unleash the potential of young people and contribute to broader global development goals.

Kgomotso Letoaba of the Ministry of Employment and Labour of South Africa stressed, on behalf of the 2025 G20 Presidency, that South Africa attaches great importance to youth entrepreneurship and regards it as an important path to achieve decent work for young people. He pointed out that the "Fancourt Declaration", adopted at the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting in July, explicitly calls for promoting youth entrepreneurship by easing financing constraints, strengthening services for start-ups, and establishing incubation centers.

Changhee Lee, director of the ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia, said entrepreneurship is a powerful means to address employment challenges, foster innovation, and enhance resilience. He introduced the ILO's inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem approach, which seeks to empower entrepreneurs across six interrelated dimensions: skills, markets, supportive policies, finance, entrepreneurial culture, and support services.

Zhou Guoliang, director of Shanghai Employment Promotion Center, and Chen Yong, deputy district mayor of Xuhui District, Shanghai, shared their own experiences of promoting youth entrepreneurship.

Gim Huay Neo, managing director and chairwoman for Greater China at the World Economic Forum, and Professor Gao Jian, director of the Entrepreneurship Research Center on G20 Economies at Tsinghua University, delivered keynote speeches respectively on youth entrepreneurship cooperation as a sustainable and inclusive engine for global growth and on the ten-year outlook for the G20 Entrepreneurship Action Plan.

The 2025 G20 Entrepreneurship Roundtable featured in-depth discussions on five topics:

- Building an Inclusive Entrepreneurship Ecosystem to Support Youth Entrepreneurship and Employment

- Entrepreneurship Spirit, ESG Practices of Large Enterprises and Youth Entrepreneurship

- Green Entrepreneurship and AI Entrepreneurship, Igniting Innovation and Development

- Future-Oriented Skills Development to Empower Youth Entrepreneurship and Employment

- Review, Innovation and Upgrading of G20 Entrepreneurship Action Plan

The delegates from governments, universities, big enterprises, venture capital companies, and entrepreneurship service organizations among G20 members, as well as experts from international organizations including the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Global Leadership and ESG Development Center (UNGLEP), the World Economic Forum (WEF), the World Bank (WBG), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the International Social Security Association (ISSA) attended the roundtable and delivered remarks.

Source: Entrepreneurship Research Center on G20 Economies, Tsinghua University

Editor: Ren Zhongxi