On July 11, President Zhou gave an interview to Accenture as part of the United Nations Global Compact CEO Interview.

President Zhou first shared his views on current economic situation at home and abroad, the situation of the metallic and mineral market and its development trends. According to President Zhou, the metallic and mineral product market is now facing a grim situation, and metallic and mineral product enterprises are facing historic challenges. However, this by no means can be an obstacle to their development. Instead, they should regard it as a driving force for corporate reform and adjustment. Enterprises should take this opportunity to improve their capacity for sustainable development, so as to become more competitive and responsible.

President Zhou said that Minmetals has always been adhering to the sustainability philosophy of “cherishing limited resources and pursue boundless development”. In other words, it cherishes limited resources to create the greatest value to its stakeholders. To put ideas into action, Minmetals strives for high-end development, green development and innovation development on the one hand so as to build an everlasting enterprise; on the other hand, it focuses on internal development, launching management improvements, cost reduction and efficiency increase, and lean production, so as to make profits through management and improve its capacity for sustainable development.

Social responsibility is an important means of enhancing competitiveness and promoting sustainable development. So, Minmetals has always adhered to the principle of “responsibility foremost”. According to President Zhou, Anvil Mining Company under Minmetals has helped local communities build three schools in Democratic Republic of the Congo through its mines, solving educational problems for over 700 students; it has funded the building of 4 local hospitals, solving difficult medical problems for local people; it also provides local farmers with agricultural necessities and systematic guidance for agricultural production, promoting local economic development. In 2012, Minmetals invested more than USD 10 million in local communities, gaining the welcome and support from local governments and communities. Meanwhile, the fulfillment of social responsibility has also created a good environment for its development, and greatly enhanced its competitiveness. President Zhou pointed out that Minmetals had adopted unified standards for security, environmental protection and community development in Australia, Laos, Africa, South America and other areas, actively introduced good foreign practice into China, worked hard to strike a balance between economic benefits and social benefits, and promoted sustainable development for stakeholders.

In addition, President Zhou also talked about pragmatism and innovation, two qualities he considers most valuable. He also expressed his views on how to build partnerships between businesses, governments and other stakeholders and how to promote sustainable development.

The United Nations Global Compact CEO Interview is mainly intended for CEOs of Global Compact business members with an important impact on sustainable development. Once every three years, it is one of the global initiatives with the widest coverage and the greatest impact in the field of sustainable development. The interview reports will be released at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit, and will provide guidelines for the future work direction of the UN Global Compact.