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Bill Gates urges more in China to help poor

2014-04-30 16:03 China Daily Web Editor: Yao Lan
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Bill Gates urges more in China to help poor

Microsoft founder Bill Gates on Monday took to the pages of the People's Daily, to encourage people in China to do more for the poor.

"China has many successful entrepreneurs and business people. I hope that more people of insight will put their talents to work to improve the lives of poor people in China and around the world, and seek solutions for them," Gates wrote in an editorial.

"Investing for the poor requires participation from the entire community."

Philanthropy in China has yet to take off, as some wealthy Chinese fear generous donations could invite unwanted attention on their fortunes. China ranks towards the bottom of the list of countries where people give money to charity, volunteer or help a stranger, according to The World Giving Index, compiled by the Charities Aid Foundation.

The editorial by Gates, who runs the $38 billion Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, comes just days after the founders of Chinese internet company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd announced the establishment of a charitable trust which will focus on the environment and health, and could be worth as much as $3 billion, making it one of the biggest in Asia.

Gates earlier this month said in an interview with Reuters he thought people in China would take cues from central leadership on donations and worthy causes.

"I believe the returns on investment in the poor are just as exciting as successes achieved in the business arena, and they are even more meaningful!" wrote Gates.

Gates cited as a model, China's investment over the years in efforts to fight tuberculosis and the participation of China's biotechnology community in those efforts.

According to the World Bank, the average income per capita in China was $6,091 in 2012. But the country's rapid economic growth has exacerbated a rural-urban wealth gap, with people in many rural areas living on annual incomes below $1,000 and struggling with access to adequate healthcare.

盖茨刊文《人民日报》:为穷人投资更有意义

微软创始人比尔·盖茨周一在《人民日报》上呼吁为穷人提供更多帮助。

比尔·盖茨写道:“中国有很多成功的企业家和商界人士,我希望更多的有识之士将其才能用于改善中国以及世界贫困人口的生活,为他们寻求解决方案。”

“为穷人投资,需要社会各界的参与。”

中国的慈善事业还有待发展,是因为一些富人担心他们的慷慨捐助会招致对他们财富意想不到的关注。根据慈善援助基金会收集的全球捐款指数,中国排在名单的最底端,这个名单是按照不同国家为慈善捐款、志愿帮助陌生人的数量排出来的。

比尔·盖茨管理着拥有380亿美元资金的比尔及梅琳达·盖茨基金会。他的那篇社论就在中国网络公司阿里巴巴宣布建立公益信托数天后发表,阿里巴巴的公益信托将聚焦环境和健康问题,其价值可达30亿美元,成为亚洲最大的基金会之一。

本月早些时候,盖茨在一次路透社的采访中表示中国人民将从中央领导的捐助和做的有价值的事业中寻找答案。

盖茨写道:“我相信,为穷人投资所获得的回报,和在商业领域取得的成功一样精彩,甚至更有意义!”

中国近年来在抗击结核病的努力上投入了大量资金,并且中国生物技术界的参与和努力都是有目共睹的,盖茨将此树立为榜样。

根据世界银行,中国2012年人均收入为6091美元。但是国家的快速经济增长却加大了城市和农村之间的贫富差距,很多农村人口每年收入低于1000美元,而且没有获得医疗保障。

 

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