Current Status and Development Trends of ESG Information Disclosure Research in China: A Visual Analysis Based on CiteSpace

With the deepening of sustainable development concepts and the proposal of "dual carbon" goals, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) information disclosure has increasingly become a focus of academic attention. This paper uses CiteSpace software to conduct a visual scientific knowledge map analysis of literature on China's ESG information disclosure published between 2004 and 2024, systematically examining the development trajectory of ESG information disclosure research in China from dimensions including publication volume, high-frequency authors, publishing institutions, research hotspots, and research frontiers. The study finds that: (1) ESG information disclosure research has shown steady growth overall, with significant acceleration after 2020; (2) Research is mainly concentrated in economic management, finance, and accounting fields, with interdisciplinary collaboration needing strengthening; (3) Research institutions are predominantly universities, with industry-academia-research collaboration needing improvement; (4) Recent research hotspots mainly focus on ESG rating systems, information disclosure quality, and corporate governance mechanisms; (5) Carbon neutrality strategies, digital technology empowerment, and international convergence are emerging as new research frontiers. Based on these findings, this paper proposes recommendations for promoting the development of ESG information disclosure research in China from theoretical construction, practical application, and policy support perspectives. JEL Codes: M41, Q56, G30 Keywords: ESG, Information Disclosure, CiteSpace, Knowledge Map, Bibliometric Analysis.