Retired officials keen to join charities

An increasing number of retired senior officials are turning to philanthropic pursuits, with research showing that charitable foundations they head are finding it easier to attract donations and resources.

More than 350 retired officials, who occupied posts higher than deputy ministers or provincial vice-governors, devoted their time to charitable foundations by the end of 2012, according to the China Foundation Center, a Beijing-based information portal for foundations.

Liu Shanzai, a former vice-minister of commerce, said he refused all invitations to work as a consultant for companies, opting to devote his life to philanthropy.

"Helping others makes me happy," said the 73-year-old, who is now vice-president of the Lifeline Express Foundation in Beijing.

The foundation sends doctors to conduct free cataract operations, and more than 100,000 patients in rural areas have benefited.

Born into a medical family, Liu also worked as deputy director of the central government's Liaison Office in Hong Kong.

"I was impressed by the vitality of the philanthropic organizations and the public enthusiasm for donations and volunteering in Hong Kong," he said. "I also realized the significance of promoting philanthropy to create a better society.

"I was more than happy when the former chief executive of Hong Kong, Tung Chee-hwa, invited me to join the foundation he initiated in 1997 to help improve medical services for the poor on the Chinese mainland," he said.

He has been busy recently composing a folk song for a performance at the foundation's annual charity concert at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

He is also preparing for a trip to Changsha in Hunan province to visit one of the foundation's training institutions for ophthalmologists.

Cheng Gang, president of the China Foundation Center, said more retired officials are enthusiastic about promoting social development as "ordinary citizens", which he regards as encouraging progress.

He estimates that about 10 percent of foundations on the mainland are founded or headed by retired senior officials. There were 3,300 foundations on the mainland by the end of 2013, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

It is common in Western countries for former senior officials to develop a passion for philanthropy after leaving politics, Cheng added.

Former US president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn founded the Carter Center, a charitable organization focusing on humanitarian aid, in 1982.

After leaving the White House in 2001, former president Bill Clinton established the William J. Clinton Foundation, dedicated to fighting childhood obesity, treating HIV/AIDS and malaria and combating climate change.

On the mainland, about 240 foundations led or founded by retired senior officials raised 8.7 billion yuan ($1.41 billion) in 2012.

Wang Peng, head of the communications department at the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, said two of its five board members are former senior officials.

They include the foundation's president Duan Yingbi, who was deputy head of the Office of the Central Leading Group on Finance and Economic Affairs.

Wang said the board makes decisions on the foundation's development strategy, budget and personnel arrangements, rather than day-to-day management.

"Retired officials usually have rich experience in administration and they have numerous contacts with people from all walks of life, so they can expand our fundraising channels and invite top experts to advise on our projects," he said.

The China Foundation Center says 42 out of the 350 retired senior officials are paid for working for charitable foundations, with annual salaries ranging from 10,000 to 120,000 yuan.

Education has been the first choice for many retired senior officials. A total of 119 out of the 243 charitable foundations led by retired officials have a focus on this sector, Cheng said.

Former premier Zhu Rongji was listed 70th among the top 100 donors in China after he donated 20 million yuan of his book's royalties to set up a foundation focusing on education, according to the 2013 Chinese Top 100 Donors list issued by the China Philanthropy Research Institute in January.

Zhu founded the Practical Education Foundation in March last year and its first donation of 1 million yuan went to sponsor poor students and reward outstanding teachers in the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture in Hunan province in September.