The opening ceremony was hosted by Prof. Liu stating the importance of the conference and that CIBE is working closely with the Swiss Embassy enjoying its support for the purpose of achieving an equitable and sustainable development through training programs for developing countries’ government officials, Chinese Philanthropy research project and also working on researching and writing case studies showcasing the evolution of Chinese philanthropy is the recent years. He emphasized that it is also the responsibility of UIBE to contribute for the purpose of a more equitable society. He said they are thankful to the Government, the corporate companies, and other entities for their contributions. The events of the conference are highly representative even though it is small and there were many professionals who are there to give their insights Philanthropy in China and elsewhere.

 

Prof. Lin Guijun, followed by Prof. Liu, shared his views about the topic in discussion on that day at the conference and also extended his support on behalf of UIBE for the ongoing research, discussions and activities related to philanthropy and inclusive development. He pointed out that the income disparity in China is still a very big challenge in China. This is both a political as well an economic issue, and this is why he strongly feels that Karl Marx’s theory is still valid. Hope the experts today could give possible solutions. Finally, on behalf of UIBE he expressed his gratitude to Prof. Liu for his contributions and support for his ambitions in the field of philanthropy. 

 

 

Dr. Jean- Jacques de Dardel, ambassador of Switzerland Embassy gave his key note address to the conference and started by saying that we must acknowledge the public and the private sector in China for the research that has been made in Philanthropy and now they also help in sustainable development. In the context of rapid economic growth, Philanthropy has also grown in China. The top 100 philanthropists of China, shown in a recent survey, donated 898 million USD. Now, the changing trend is that half of donation is contributing to the education and poverty alleviation, and NGO’s are developing fast in China. He emphasized that we must figure out the new direction of philanthropy and the focusing of corporate social responsibility. Finally, he spoke about the importance of the gathering that day and the key issues, such as inclusive development, transparency in philanthropy and the development of an equitable society, to be addressed in this conference.

 

 

The conference began with the session 1 hosted by Ms. Li Dongning, news anchor of CCTV English Channel: The Development of Philanthropy with Corporate and Civil Society. Ms. Li began by welcoming the honorary panel members at the roundtable and introduced the focus issue of this conference that China’s economy is very fast, yet there are many inequality and lot of income disparities. The panel present at the conference was there to discuss the key issues related to Philanthropy. 

 

 

With that the first session took off and the first speaker of the panel Mr. Liu Debing, Chairman of China General Consulting and Investment Co., Ltd shared his insights about philanthropy and made a interesting note by saying that we must add an important element called “Respect” to the concept of Philanthropy. He said when we give to others we need to respect the recipient of the donation and he emphasized upon this in the context of Chinese business practices in China and the world.

 

 

Next, Ms. Liu Fang, Director of the information office of China Charity Federation, made her presentation about the general development of philanthropy in China and their efforts of philanthropy. Ms. Ma Haiyan from Beijing Fengrui Bowen Education and Consulting Company followed Ms. Liu’s presentation by shedding light on the importance of fund management for charity foundations and then Ms. Ma Libo, Senior Director of CSR department from JD.com shared her insights and her company’s contributions to the society through their CSR activities.

 

 

With that the first session came to and end followed by a small tea break. After the tea break there was a brief open discussion by the panel members following by the beginning of session 2.

 

Session 2: Inclusive Development: Poverty Reduction and Environmental Protection. This session was kicked off with a very brief yet a very good speech by Mr. Brett Rierson, Country Director, World Food Program China. He spoke about the importance of philanthropy and food security in China and their mission in China.

 

Followed by his speech, Mr. Kaj Malden, Consultant at PlanetFinance China spoke about micro credit schemes for rural development in China. Moving on, Mr. Guo Xianjun, Chairman of the Board, Shenzhen Xianjun Design Co., Ltd shared his perspectives. Last but not the least, Prof. Zhou Shoujin from Peking University ended the second session by sharing with the rest of the panelists about the inclusive development of Chinese philanthropy.

 

 

 

After the open discussion following the session 2, Prof. Liu Baocheng concluded the roundtable conference with his closing speech and thus ended the roundtable conference on a fruitful note.