On 18^th May, 2022, the Bank of East Asia (China) Limited (“BEA China”) released its 2021 Corporate Social Responsibility Report. This report is the fourteenth CSR report released by BEA China which offers a full picture of the bank’s commitments and achievements in fulfilling its corporate social responsibilities (“CSR”) during 2021, such as engaging more in public welfare activities, improving the quality of customer service and rendering considerate care to its employees.

Mr. Montgomery Ho Shun-wah, Executive Director & Chief Executive of BEA China, said, “2021 is the first year of the 14^th Five-Year Plan. In this year, BEA China has been enhancing its innovation capability to further deeply root in the Chinese mainland market with its original aspiration, while continuously dedicating to fulfilling its corporate social responsibilities. For over a decade, BEA Charity Fund has committed itself to promoting teenager education in underprivileged rural areas by providing better hardware facilities to rural schools, long-term support on professional skill trainings for rural teachers and online course resources to the children, thus improving the quality of local education and contributing to the revitalization of the underprivileged rural areas. Looking forward, BEA China will consistently fulfil its corporate social responsibilities, while steadily developing the business and improving the service quality, to become the best localised foreign bank in Chinese Mainland.”

Medical Staff Care Programme to Open up New CSR Areas

Coronavirus has still been raging all over the world and throwing threat to human health in 2021. BEA China donated CNY 2.5 million as early as January 2021 by joining hands with Shanghai Charity Foundation to establish the Shanghai Charity Foundation-BEA Charity Fund (“the Fund”). As one of the significant platforms of BEA China to fulfill corporate social responsibilities, the Fund aims to support public health initiatives in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. The Medical Staff Care Programme was the first programme by the Fund, which joined hands with Huashan Hospital to provide support to medical workers in the battle against COVID-19 by offering subsidies for front-line medical workers, providing training to nurses and more.

Donated to Henan Flood Relief Effort

Zhengzhou and other places in Henan Province suffered from rare and severe rainfall disaster in the summer of 2021. BEA China donated CNY 3 million to the China Charity Federation at the first time. The donation will be used for procurement of emergency relief supplies, infection prevention and temporary settlement and relocation for affected residents in Henan Province to pull through and conquer this disaster.

In addition, BEA China's Zhengzhou Branch triggered its emergency response mechanism at the first time. With the joint efforts of staff members, the branch strived to assure the safety and security of its team and facilities, in support of local disaster relief.

Focus on Education and Contribute to the Revitalization of Rural Area

Education makes a county strong. BEA China has committed itself to promoting teenager education and growth to consolidate strategic achievements of building well-off society in an all-round way. As the first charity fund initiated by a foreign-funded bank in Chinese mainland, BEA Charity Fund has been consistently supporting the rural education ever since its establishment in 2009.  Its Firefly Project, the BEA University Scholarship Programme and the Non-governmental Organisation Funding Plan have been in continuous implementation for many years, benefiting hundreds of thousands of teenagers in remote areas in mainland.

BEA Charity Fund built 3 new "Firefly Centres" and donated 1,200 "Firefly Backpacks" to rural students during 2021. The Fund provided 3,198 class hours of training for 240 rural teachers and rural principals. Besides, it also supplied some school hardware to upgrade their facilities, including library, student dormitories and dining hall, recruited 6 teachers for 3 unqualified “Firefly Centre” schools, and launched online English and network programming courses respectively in 6 “Firefly Centre” schools. With these successful measures implemented, BEA Charity Fund fully improved the learning and living environment of these rural schools and dedicated to providing educational opportunities for underprivileged children in rural areas in Chinese Mainland.

For BEA China, fulfilling corporate social responsibilities is always regarded as its own business philosophy all along. In the future, BEA China will continue to contribute to the sustainable development of economy, environment and society by focusing on rural education, public health and life care to benefit more people in need, while steadily developing its business and improving its service quality.