On November 23rd, 2020, the Guizhou provincial government held a press conference to announce that nine counties, including Weining County, have been removed from the list of poverty-stricken counties. This marks the culmination of the national poverty alleviation goal of removing 832 poverty-stricken counties identified by the Poverty Relief Office of the State Council from the poverty-stricken counties list. These include four counties (Weining in Guizhou, Qichun in Hubei, and Yecheng and Shache in Xinjiang) to which China Merchants Group provided paired-up assistance in poverty alleviation. The list also includes Yongren County and Wuding County in Yunnan to which China Merchants Bank provided paired-up assistance in poverty alleviation.
Over the past 17 years, China Merchants Group has invested a total of RMB 740 million in poverty alleviation in four paired-up poverty-stricken counties. It has carried out nearly 200 poverty-alleviation projects, and deputed 37 temporary and resident officials to lift more than 900,000 people out of poverty. At the same time, China Merchants Bank helped lift 120,000 people out of poverty in Yongren and Wuding counties.
The Group’s Leading Group of Poverty Alleviation developed policies, allocated resources, and controlled the direction of poverty alleviation. It built 546 rural clinics (hospitals) in Weining and 3 kindergartens, and middle and primary schools in resettlement sites. It supported Yecheng and Shache counties in the renovation and expansion of 6 health centers in remote towns. It also provided aid to build cultural and education centers for teenagers and special education schools in Yecheng and Shache counties. The Group donated 2 million books to Yecheng and Shache counties to promote balanced development of education in poverty-stricken areas.
The Group built the Changjiang wharf at Qichun Port, and utilized its corporate strength and capabilities to coordinate and promote the construction of Qichun new industrial town. It introduced more than RMB 9 billion of investment to Qichun. It established China Merchants Group Health Industry (Qichun) Co., Ltd., to set up an entire chain of TCM health industry that integrates various processes such as planting, purchase, and storage, research and development, and application of downstream products. At the same time, it set up the China Merchants Group Qichun Industry Investment Fund to support tens of millions of farmers to achieve the development goal via industries.
The Group implemented a creative poverty alleviation idea of “building brands, establishing standards and promoting industries”. It launched its scheme called the “27° agriculture” to help poor areas explore new directions and new models for efficient industrial development. It supported Weining County to build a regional public brand of agricultural products named “Sunshine City”, and assisted Weining in improving the cold chain logistics and transportation system, thereby opening-up a new path for agricultural products.
With China Merchants Foundation(CMF) as a professional platform, the Group brought in China Population Welfare Foundation and other public welfare organizations to the local communities. This gave full play to the professional advantages in health care and education in helping the impoverished people out of poverty. In addition, it implemented the “Happy Home” and “Future + Hometown” support plans nationwide. These efforts helped to build a modernized rural governance system and enhanced the capacity to consolidate the foundation for rural revitalization at the grassroots level.
China Merchants Group also has been making efforts to help alleviate poverty and provide assistance to people in need in Belt and Road Initiative countries and regions where the group has invested in or operated projects.
In December 2019, Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT), initiated a community-driven CSR program in Horana of Sri Lanka. Stationery and school bags were provided to 300 students whilst around 120 senior citizens in the village of Pannila were given gift packs containing nutritional food and other essential items. CICT and China Merchants Foundation also supported the construction of a two-storey community centre that provides a range of essential services benefiting around 2,000 Pannila villagers.
Hambantota is among one of the under-developed areas in Sri Lanka. In 2019, Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) and China Merchants Foundation donated US$193,000 in constructing a two-storey school building in Weerawila, a remote town in the Hambantota district, where a government budget reduction had put the school under poor maintenance. In 2021, HIPG plans to launch a US$320,000-budget "Love Village" project, aiming to build houses and community centers for the poorest residences in Hambantota.
In African country Djibouti, the International Djibouti Industrial Parks Operation FZCO initiated a project with an investment of some US$7 million, aiming to construct 1,000 residential apartments for local poor people for free. In October 2018, at the request of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Djibouti, China Merchants Foundation donated a batch of equipment and materials to help with the country's public welfare project in more impoverished northern rural areas. In 2013, CMF donated US$200,000 to help with the expansion and improvement of facilities of an orphanage in Djibouti.
In Belarus, China-Belarus Industrial Park built a 1200-meter asphalt road in a village in Smollevic district, to help local residents get easier access to commute. With a donation of US$50000 from CMF, the park replaced 11 boilers in SOS Children's Village in Mogilyov to help improve living conditions of local orphans. In May 2019, China Merchants Foundation donated US$100000 to the government of Smolevitch district to help with the purchase of modern ambulance in Central Hospital and the improvement of local medical infrastructure. In May 2019, China Merchants Foundation donated RMB100,000 to Molevitch district of Minsk to help with the development of football course for youth and the improvement of physical education.
China Merchants Group has been making effort to improve medical conditions in Weining County of Guizhou Province.
In December 2019, CICT donated stationery and nutritional food to students and senior citizens in Pannila village in Sri Lanka.
Students enjoy their school life in the new building of Weerawila school donated by HIPG.
In October 2018, China Merchants Foundation donated a batch of equipment and materials to help with public welfare project in northern rural areas of Djibouti.
In May 2019, China Merchants Foundation donated RMB100,000 to Molevitch district of Minsk to help with the development of football course for youth and the improvement of physical education.