In the presentation ceremony for the Hong Kong Corporate Governance Excellence Awards 2007 on December 4th, the Chamber of Hong Kong Listed Companies presented the only Corporate Social Responsibility Award to CCB, making the latter the sole recipient among all domestic and overseas enterprises listed in Hong Kong.

This is the first year this award activity is held and the judging panel is jointly formed by the Chamber of Hong Kong Listed Companies and the Baptist University of Hong Kong.  In both the Corporate Governance Excellence Award and the Corporate Social Responsibility Award, a set of stringent standards is used to assess domestic and overseas companies with superior performance in fostering corporate governance and undertaking corporate social responsibility.  The objective is to sustain growth in the securities market and maintain investor confidence by promoting business ethics in Hong Kong companies, recognising companies with excellent performance and showcasing best management practices and accomplishments.

In its assessment of CCB, the award judging panel pointed out that corporate social responsibility is a key common concern of enterprises globally.  CCB had always been committed to protecting the interests of its stakeholders and, in 2007, it became the first major Chinese bank issuing a corporate social responsibility report.  Environmental protection was one main area of CCB’s work in corporate social responsibility and CCB had linked its credit policy with the environmental performance of its borrowers.  In addition, it had been supporting the State’s strategic decision in promoting the development of backward areas.  By adopting credit policies with clear-cut objectives, CCB had managed to contribute towards environmental protection and community development and produce long-term positive impacts on the sustainability of the environment and society.  CCB has also established numerous charity funds in supporting China’s education causes.  The judging panel was of the opinion that CCB had set a good example of making corporate social responsibility an integral part of the company by merging it into its business.  CCB had made very substantive investment in education and it was an effective way of establishing a sustainable future for society.  In view of the various effective work carried out by CCB in undertaking corporate social responsibility, the judging panel decided to give CCB full recognition by presenting it with the sole Corporate Social Responsibility Award.

Since its listing, while maintaining brisk and healthy development, CCB has given high priorities to the common interests of its stakeholders including the State, it shareholders, employees, customers, business partners and the general public.  It has actively undertaken its corporate social responsibility; supported coordinate development of the economy and society; supported cultural and educational causes; cared for underprivileged communities and carried out a lot of work in environmental protection and social welfare.

CCB has associated its own development with the economic development of the country and has been striving to implement the scientific viewpoint of development.  It is fully exploiting its traditional advantage in infrastructure construction in lending support to key strategic policies and national construction such as the development of Western China, the revitalisation of the old industrial base in the north-east, the rising of the Central China and the construction of the Tianjin Binhai New District.  To implement the concept of “green credit”, it has been insistence in adopting environment friendliness as a determining factor in loan extension: in essence, no loan will be extended to projects or enterprises which are in violation of environmental regulations and are expressly prohibited by the State.  In a bid to bring to the greatest extent the fruits of development to the populace, it has been self-conscious in advancing social constructions focussed on improving the welfare of the people and insistent in meeting customer needs with quality, effective and cheap financial products and services, particularly in basic financial service needs of the general public.  From the viewpoint of solving the problems of China's agriculture, countryside and farmers, it regards as an important responsibility to quicken its pace of countryside financial reforms, improve countryside financial environment and provide the new countryside with innovative financial products and services.  It has committed to helping more common people realise their home-ownership dreams by incessantly exploring new models for providing housing financial services for the middle- to low-income communities.  From the elevated standpoint of promoting the growth of the national economy and building a harmonious society, it has been redoubling efforts in product innovation to meet the needs of SMEs for financial services.  It has been whole-heartedly supporting public welfare causes such as culture, education, poverty alleviation and disaster relief and has made donations to the China Youth Development Foundation for 10 consecutive years to build 25 “CCB Hope Primary Schools” in poverty and disaster stricken areas.

In the last 12 months, it had donated 120 million yuans to help middle school students with excellent scholarship and good characters finish their schooling; these students came mainly from 28 provinces, municipalities or autonomous regions in the central and western areas  It had also donated 50 million yuan to start up the “Impoverished Mothers of Heroes & Exemplary Workers in China” subsidy programme to help solve livelihood problems of the mothers, wives or relatives of heroes and exemplary workers from the PLA, Armed Police or the public security system.  It was also a sponsor of the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2007 and had organised a series of charity activities related to it.

The contributions made by CCB in undertaking its corporate social responsibility have received extensive approval from all quarters of society.  In 2007, its had received the “Most Responsible Corporate Citizen 2007 Award” from China News Weekly and Chinese Red Cross Foundation; it was named the “Most Caring Organisation for Children” by the China Children and Teenager Fund; it had received the Community Chest Diamond Award 2006/7 from the Community Chest of Hong Kong; it was presented with the “Corporate Social Responsibility Contribution Award “ by Xinhua Net; and was honoured a “China Women Charity Enterprise” by the All China Women’s Federation and the China Women’s Development Fund.