On December 16th 2007, in the “China National Brand & Corporate Social Responsibility Summit Forum cum Corporate Social Responsibility Survey Result Announcement & Award Presentation Ceremony 2007” jointly organised by the Party School of CCCPC, Chinese Press Journal, China National Brand Association and China Enterprise Community Duty Research Association, CCB was named the “Commercial Bank that Affects the World” and presented with “China Social Responsibility Award 2007”.  This was in recognition of CCB’s relentless efforts and outstanding achievements in implementing a scientific viewpoint of development, in undertaking corporate social responsibility and in striving to build a harmonious society.  In fact, CCB was the only major state-owned commercial bank among the evening’s award recipients.

The ceremony was held in Beijing and was attended by 300 or so guests including officials from related ministries and commissions, pundits, specialists and charity figures from all over the country.

The current China National Brand and Corporate Social Responsibility survey programme has lasted for more than three months.  Enterprises participating in this programme have either been nominated by the public, trade organisations, the media or by the enterprises themselves.  After posting their names on websites, newspapers and other media, the evaluation committee has conducted surveys of the nominees, organised polling through the Internet and SMS, solicit opinions from pundits to arrive at overall scores and the prize-winning enterprises.

The members of the evaluation committee are unanimous in the opinion that, as the first major state-owned Chinese commercial bank achieving listing overseas, CCB is in a leading position in the reform and opening of the Chinese financial sector.  Over the years, while striving to achieve stable development, CCB has also been giving consideration to the interests of the country as well as that of its customers, shareholders and employees.  By taking note of its own advantages and actual situation, it has been conscientious in supporting national economic construction and social development, in sponsoring cultural and educational undertakings, in caring and helping underprivileged groups, in poverty alleviation and disaster relieves, as well as in environmental protection and other social causes.  In other words, it has carried out a lot of effective work in facilitating the harmonious development of society.

In 2007, CCB had stepped up its efforts in the support of social welfare causes by launching a number of large scale projects which had drawn positive responses from society and brought about good public benefits.  For example, it had donated RMB120 million to the China Education Development Fund to set up the “Build for the Future—CCB Financing Poor High School Students Plan”.  The target was to provide financial assistance to about 80,000 counts of poor high school students for six consecutive years.  CCB had also donated RMB50 million to the China Women Development Foundation to kick start a subsidy programme for “Mothers of Heroes and Exemplary Workers in China”.  The aim was to alleviate the living difficulties of impoverished mothers or wives of PLA, Armed Police or Public security personnel who had been killed or crippled while on duty, or have demonstrated exemplary performance at the front-line.  As a partner in the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2007, CCB had launched a series of “Care for Society through Actions” charity activities and had mobilised its staff in almost 3,000 branches to promote and raise donations for the Special Olympics and for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Moreover, CCB had been actively involved in the support of cultural and educational causes and in carrying out social welfare activities such as poverty alleviation and disaster relief.  For example, in promoting the vigorous development of cultural in the capital, it was a sponsor of the Beijing International Music Festival; it had donated HK$720,880 to the Hong Kong Community Chest in support of the Youth Employment Network of the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups; it had donated a US$3 million endowment to the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management for the establishment of a “CCB-Tsinghua Chair Professorship Fund” to invite internationally famous scholars to teach in Tsinghua to raise its academic standards; it had donated 306 PCs to the Association of Poverty Alleviation and Development of China in support of the latter’s “Chinese Village Project”, a green PC poverty alleviation action; it had also donated RMB2 million to the China Yan’an Spirit Research Society to support research in the Yan’an spirit; it had donated RMB3.5 million to the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation to set up the “Tibet in Our Hearts” education fund to help poor university or high school student in the Tibet area to finish their schooling; it has donated RMB530,000 to the China Youth Development Foundation for the building of Hope Primary Schools and for the provision of sports equipment and libraries and for conducting teacher training in these schools.

To CCB, this award is as much an encouragement as a prod.  And CCB will continue to carry out reforms and innovations through ceaseless efforts.  While driving for rapid development in its various businesses and conscientiously striving to provide its multitude of customers with quality, efficient and first-rate financial services, it will continue to undertake corporate social responsibility actively.  This way, CCB will bring into full play its role as a major state-owned commercial bank in drawing public interest in social welfare causes and in joining hands with all quarters of society in building a harmonious society.