Chinese philanthropist wants to hand out cash to Taiwan's poor

Jan 24, 2011, 7:28 GMT

Taipei - A Chinese businessman said Monday he would be travelling to Taiwan later this week to distribute cash handouts to the island's poor.

Taipei has not yet decided whether to give the go-ahead to Chen Guangbiao, president of the Jiangsu Renewable Energy Company and known as one of China's most generous philanthropists.

Chen planned to lead a delegation of 47 Chinese businessmen to Taiwan Thursday to distribute 500 million Taiwan dollars (16 million US dollars) to the needy, said trip organizer Chang You-peng said.

Chen was to visit several locations and give each poor person or low-income family 10,000 Taiwan dollars (333 US dollars), he said.

It was not clear how he would select between individuals and families, nor whether he would adopt Taiwan's official definition of the poverty threshold to identify eligible recipients.

The project has triggered mixed reactions in Taiwan.

Fu Kun-chi, magistrate of Hualien County, welcomed the idea and said Taiwan entrepreneurs should follow the example.

But several authorities were withholding judgment. 'We are still evaluating it,' said Chao Hsin-ping, press officer for the Taipei City Government.

Eric Chu, mayor of the county surrounding the capital known as New Taipei City, suggested that Chen distribute goods instead of cash. 'He should consider the recipients' dignity and keep it low-key,' he said.

Chen, 43, has been doing charity work for 10 years and has been called the country's top philanthropist in the Chinese media.

He is reported to donate 20 per cent of his company's earnings to charity each year, in addition to his fund-raising activities, insisting that the proceeds go directly to those in need.

It is not that he does not trust aid organizations, he said, merely that he wants the money to reach people directly and quickly.

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