Government Environmental Information Regulation and Corporate ESG Performance

China’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) actions are driven by multiple factors, among which the government is an indispensable key player. This paper empirically examines the impact of government environmental information regulation (GEIR) on corporate ESG performance using a sample of Chinese A-share listed companies in heavily polluting industries from 2011 to 2021, with a GEIR in 2014 as an exogenous shock. GEIR is found to significantly improve corporate ESG performance, which is mainly reflected in the environmental and social dimensions. Moreover, improvements in the quality of corporate information disclosure and the efficiency of green innovation are found to be the main paths through which GEIR enhances corporate ESG performance. Further research shows that the enhancement effect of GEIR is more obvious in firms with low political relevance, high investor attention, and low marketization in the region in which they are located. This work enriches the research on GEIR and corporate ESG performance and provides some references for promoting the government to play a key role in China’s ESG initiatives.