Since the agreements on the 2030 Agenda and the Financing of development (AAAA) agreement in 2015, the member countries of the United Nations have agreed that domestic and foreign direct investment are expected to be aligned with the 2030 Agenda.
The 17 SDGs of the 2030 Agenda are supposed to be achieved in an integrated manner focusing at the same time on social, economic and environmental sustainability and be implemented in a transparent, inclusive and participatory manner.

In order to achieve these 17 goals and guiding principles, very substantial financial investment will be required. According to the 2014 World Investment Report (WIR) by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), approximately 4 trillion USD will be required every year in developing countries alone for the SDGs to be achieved by2030.

Historically, China had prior experience in interacting with Africa. In the first half of 15th Century, Admiral Zhen reached Madagascar already with his fleet of “treasure boats”. Traders from the neighboring countries and dominions joint the fleet in order to benefit from the trading opportunities. This was the first official trade mission by the Chinese Ming Emperor. Such missions continued for more than 15 years and came to a halt. The Belt and Road Initiative is a systematic effort of the Chinese government to foster a stronger economic and political link with its neighbours in the Southeast Asia and beyond reaching the shore of Africa once again. In the geopolitical context of the post cold war period and the accelerated economic and technological catching up by China, such a concerted effort like BRI is causing concerns and anxieties in many quarters. Wherever there is a Chinese international trade policy, Chinese companies follow. Interactions with the host countries, either the community or the labour force or suppliers, is achieving mixed results.

Lichia Yiu & Raymond Saner, published in Ruël, H. (ed.), 2017, International Business Diplomacy: How Can Multinational Corporations Deal with Global Challenges? Vol. 19. of the book series: Advanced Series in Management, P. 35-58.

The SDGs in fact means transforming all countries and actors in all spheres of human existence in an integrated and coherent manner. This transformative journey will not be incremental, but rather disruptive and demands fresh new thinking and smart system redesign. The private sector has been recognised as a leading player in this endeavour that could and should contribute to the success of SDG implementation due to its comparative excellence in process design, management know-how, control of resources and global outreach.

Looking on The Bright Side. Raymond Saner & Lichia Yiu. 2016. EFMD Global Focus, Vol. 10 (2): 53-57.

This paper argues that despite worrying times, initiatives such as the Sustainable Development Goals, OECD Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct, and Business Diplomacy Management can provide a winning formula for shared prosperity. Business diplomacy in this context is to scan the environment and to facilitate uptake of entrepreneurial opportunities for innovation and business growth, in addition to safeguard reputation capital of the company and its licence to operate.

The original is made available at EFMD Global Focus

International Economic Diplomacy: Mutations in Post Modern Times. 2003. Raymond Saner & Lichia Yiu. Discussion Papers in Diplomacy. The Haag: Netherlands Institute of International Relations. January, No. 84. 

Swiss Executives as Business Diplomats in the New Europe: Evidence from Swiss Pharmaceutical and Agro-Industrial Global Companies. 2005. Organisational Dynamics, Vol 34(3): 298-312.

This paper discusses the situation facing Switzerland for being in the middle of the European continent surrounded by EU member countries but at the same time being isolated due to its status as a non-EU member state. Switzerland’s relations with the EU have oscillated between confrontation and mutual accommodation thus requiring many rounds of bilateral negotiations and the creation of an alternative alliance. 

Business Diplomacy Management: A Core Competency for Global Companies. Raymond Saner, Lichia Yiu & Mikael Sondergaard. 2000. Academy of Management Executive, Vol 14 (1): 80-92.

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