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Crisis in Charity Talk by Wang at Bookworm

On November 17, 2011, In BASIC: Brazil, Africa, South America, India, China, Corporate Social Responsibility, Government Social Responsibility, By Charitarian

Crisis in Charity is the common theme in China at the moment.  Sure, some money has gone astray. Guo Meimei, the 20 year old who claimed to be Business General Manger of Red Cross Commerce flaunted her luxury lifestyle on sina microblog. Lu Xingyu, the inexperienced 24 year old executive chairman overseeing a RMB 1.5 Billion  fund at China-Africa Project Hope. Soong Ching Ling Foundation in Henan reportedly made large loans to several companies and converted a charitable construction project into a luxury apartment. But I do not think it is so much a crisis as an evolutionary process.  Charity is quite new in China.  It only really started 7 years ago as the yawning gap between rich and poor became a chasm.

Since then there has been a lot to improve the situation but people still choose to criticize charity because it is one of the weaker departments in government least able to defend itself.  Wang and Carma Elliot (OBE) of China Director
of Half the Sky discussed the hot topic at the Charitarian Launch party in bookworm on 25th October.  Q&A lasted for half an hour with many in the audience impatient for improvement in the infrastructure of charitable checks and balances.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
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Reaction to riots

On August 21, 2011, In Government Social Responsibility, By Charitarian

In August rich people go on holiday.  Cameron was in Italy, Osborne in the US and Eton kids in Norway.  Poor kids with no-one to take them on holiday were stuck in built up London.  They got bored with their lack of freedom and broke shop windows for kicks.  Then we locked them up.  Sure that will be a satisfactory solution to solving the problem of people who lack freedom.

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Ants and Bulls

On September 10, 2010, In Government Social Responsibility, By Charitarian

Chen Xucheng is part of the ‘ant tribe’; a name given by the media to those living in cheap make-shift accommodation within the major cities in China.  A 23 year old cable factory worker, he has started looking for a new home since authorities announced plans to demolish Tianjialing, a run down village in north east Beijing synonymous with the “ant tribe”.  Three recent cases are causing intense debate about protecting the interests of residents from forced demolition by Bulldozers.  The deputy head of a village in Fuyang, Anhui, was recently sentenced to 11 years in prison following his role in a demolition where the resident committed suicide.  On 26 May, it was reported that 1,000 local residents were made homeless as their houses were forcibly demolished by officials over a ten day period; from a poverty stricken place in Hubei they were offered neither compensation or relocation.  In a separate incident on 27 May, a resident was killed during a forced demolition in Xushui, Zhengzhou, Henan where observers say he was forced off his roof.  The State Council has issued an urgent circular which stipulates that authorities must use only lawful means to demolish accommodation, pay compensation and make plans for relocation. If enforceable the ants will keep the bull(dozers) at bay. (more…)

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G2 Play Ball

On September 10, 2010, In Government Social Responsibility, By Charitarian

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geitner played basketball with school students in Beijing on Sunday.  Appreciating the informal approach, the China Daily allowed him to grace page three on Monday in rolled up sleeves and T-shirt.  Meanwhile Hilary Clinton hot-footed it round Expo in Shanghai.  Speaking in Shanghai on Sunday before leaving for Beijing, Clinton stressed the importance of US economic concerns in relations with China.  On Monday May 24, Clinton and Geitner sat down with high ranking Chinese officials to find solutions to issues ranging from trade  and global economic recovery to North Korea and Intellectual Property Protection. (more…)

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North Korean Nightmare

On September 10, 2010, In Government Social Responsibility, By Charitarian

South Korea told its neighbors on 19 May that a North Korean torpedo sank one of is warships in March killing 46 sailors.   North Korea has denied involvement in the sinking and vowed to retaliate against rumors.  Soon after the sinking North Korea’s Kim Jong-Il went on a charm offensive in Beijing.  China’s perceived fence-sitting drives South Korea into a closer military pact with the US.  Nevertheless, the US must allow China to lance the cyst on its side with traditional Chinese medicine.  This is non-invasive, gradual but culturally attuned to the patient; increased tourism, cultural exchange, infrastructure, and energy deals are more likely provide a cure than invasive surgery.  China is aware of the problem.  I recently asked a retired Beijing energy official what the hardest aspect of his career had been -  “Getting North Korea to pay for their coal” was his answer.  So many North Koreans live in Northern China that some of the signs are in Korean and the local officials are North Korean.  The two countries are culturally and commercially connected.  China is the nation most heavily incentivized and diplomatically adept to reconnect Kim to reality.  Foreigners should just watch and wait at a safe distance. (more…)

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Political Winners at Expo

On September 10, 2010, In Government Social Responsibility, By Charitarian

Sarkozy knew he could wipe the slate clean by showing commitment to Expo.  Countries that have shown real interest in Expo will reap the commercial benefit in years to come.  “While the Olympics was the show that China put on for the world, Expo is a performance that the world is putting on for China”, according to the state controlled Chinese press.  Those who missed the opening ceremony missed out on: the opportunity to network with Hu Jintao, the chance to connect with world leaders who priortise China, and on the best time to meet Provincial Chinese leaders in one sitting.  Hu Jintao, stayed behind at Expo to greet world leaders for two days after the opening ceremony.  Hotels were overflowing with APAC and other cross-country meetings as senior leaders casually chatted.  Nicholas Sarkozy arrived with a delegation of 300 guests, bowed to Hu Jintao and revived a pivotal commercial partnership. African countries, who had not previously attended other world Expo’s were there in high numbers.  This was an opportunity to meet tomorrow’s leaders en masse in a carnival atmosphere.  Countries with an eye to the future were rewarded with column inches across the Chinese press.

(more…)

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Corporate Credibility Builders at Expo

On September 10, 2010, In Government Social Responsibility, By Charitarian

Company Presidents are busy building guanxi (relationships) at Expo. Screen siren, Gong Li was appointed as France’s new “Charm Ambassador” for the French Pavilion and awarded a Legion of Honor; she is also coincidentally the face of L’Oreal, the French cosmetics brand, which is a key Expo Sponsor. GE has built their own futuristic pavilion. Car companies are here in force and who can blame them.  GM sold more cars in China than in the US in ’09.  BMW will host their own Thought Leaders Forum at Expo. from 14 – 16 May. The catchphrase of the whole event is “Better City, Better Life” and companies are green-washing their brands.  “Shanghai could leapfrog the rest of the world [on urbanisation], because the scale of what they want to do and what they need to do is enormous”, says Anthony Elvey, director of Cisco’s Expo Pavilion.

(more…)

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Vote China in the UK

On September 10, 2010, In Government Social Responsibility, By Charitarian

Eight Chinese candidates are currently running in the General Election in the UK.  If they become members of Parliament, who knows one day Britain could have an ethically Chinese Prime Minister, better able to cement the China-Britain relationship than even Kevin Rudd.  BBC (British Born Chinese) are a well organised group in the UK with their own clubs, media and cultural and business meetings.  This week bbcchina.com and bbcchinese.com organised a ‘hustings’ or debate for five of the Chinese candidates to lay out their policies.  This is unprecedented but important because Chinese represent the third biggest minority in the UK.  BBC candidates include Anna Lo who is a social activist standing in Northern Ireland.  She has worked for twenty five years to improve the lives of immigrants of all backgrounds to that country.  Metropolitan Police Officer, George Lee, is standing as a Conservative candidate in Holborn and St Pancras but is unlikely to win as he is running against Frank Dobson, a Labour heavyweight.  Another Tory, Kagang Wu is standing in Liverpool Riverside.  Lib Dem Chinese candidates include Merlene Emerson (Hammersmith and Fulham) and Philip Ling (Birmingham and Bromsgrove). (more…)

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Expo Fireworks

On September 10, 2010, In Government Social Responsibility, By Charitarian

1 million people have already visited Expo (World Exhibition in Shanghai) during the first five ‘trial runs’ held last week.  Streets are packed and it is difficult to book a hotel for the ‘big bang’ opening on Friday 30 April; this is the Shanghai ‘Olympics’.  Shanghai is deeply competitive with Beijing.  Although the official line is that there will be a few ‘fireworks’ with some surprises, the fireworks manufacturers state that there will be 100,000, versus the 80,000 at the Beijing Olympics, some of which ‘could land on the moon’.

400,000 daily visits are expected throughout EXPO from May 1 to October 31 with 600,000 people on weekend days.  Regarding the pavilions, countries have lent their most expensive cultural assets to draw the crowds.  For example the one hundred year old mermaid statue which has been sitting on the edge of Copenhagen harbor for 100 years, in honor of the fairytale character created by Hans Christian Anderson, has temporarily relocated to an artificial pond in the Danish Pavilion in the EXPO garden.  Visitors are beginning to arrive in big numbers, regardless of the disrupted flight schedules in Europe caused by the Icelandic volcano.  Expect a cosmopolitan cultural Olympics with Shanghai style.

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‘Damning’ the River

On September 10, 2010, In BASIC: Brazil, Africa, South America, India, China, Government Social Responsibility, By Charitarian

Beijing has admitted to New Delhi that the mainland is building a dam on the Yarlung Zangbo River near its disputed border with India (South China Morning Post, April 24).  The river originates in Tibet and flows into India.  Mainland experts in the project confirmed the hydropower plan for the river yesterday and said that four dams would be built between Sangri and Jiacha counties.  The total power capacity for the dams would be bigger than that of the Three Gorges Dam.  Power from the dams will be used to meet growing demand in Hong Kong and Guangdong.  The first dam lies Southeast of Lhasa at an altitude of 3,260 meters.  The damming of the Yarlung Zangbo, the highest major river in the world, will also give Beijing direct control of the water supply to more than 90,000 square km of land over which China claims sovereignty but which is under control of India.  Chinese officials told India that Beijing had no obligation to reveal its plan to New Delhi but did so to build trust and ease tensions.  Beijing said the hydropower plants would not affect waters into India. (more…)

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