A Preliminary ESG Performance Analysis of Chinese Listed Commercial Aerospace Companies

The rapid expansion of the commercial aerospace sector has increasingly drawn attention to sustainable development and corporate responsibility. This study provides a comprehensive and preliminary Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance analysis of eight prominent listed Chinese commercial aerospace companies, comprising four state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and four private firms. By utilizing the widely recognized Huazheng ESG rating framework, this research evaluates longitudinal data spanning from 2020 to 2024 to identify underlying trends and structural disparities within the industry. The empirical results demonstrate that governance scores across the sampled companies are consistently the highest and exhibit the greatest stability over the five-year period. Conversely, environmental scores remain the lowest and display significant variability, highlighting a critical area of concern. A comparative analysis reveals that state-owned enterprises generally demonstrate more consistent overall ESG performance and significantly outperform their private counterparts in environmental dimensions. In contrast, private firms exhibit a marginal advantage in social dimensions, reflecting different strategic priorities. Despite these variations, both ownership groups severely lag in comprehensive environmental practices, indicating a systemic weakness across the entire Chinese commercial aerospace sector. The findings offer crucial strategic implications for multiple stakeholders. Specifically, the study suggests that state-owned enterprises must urgently prioritize targeted environmental improvements, while private firms require the implementation of standardized ESG reporting mechanisms to enhance transparency. Furthermore, policymakers and regulatory bodies should proactively develop and enforce sector-specific guidelines to foster sustainable growth and elevate the global competitiveness of the commercial aerospace industry.