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Press conference of the China Child Development Fund held in Beijing

Children are the future of a country and the hope of a nation. Comprehensive development of children is vital to the improvement of human capital and building a prosperous society. On March 18, 2021, the press conference of the China Child Development Fund was held in Beijing, and the representatives of the fund's donors were invited to attend the event. The meeting was chaired by Fang Jin, Deputy Secretary General of China Development Research Foundation (CDRF).

China Child Development Fund (hereby referred to as “the Fund”) is jointly initiated by the China Development Research Foundation and ten domestic and foreign enterprises, which will be the endowment for the Child Development Research Institute of China Development Research Foundation. The Fund will be used to support the Child Development Research Institute to carry out pilot interventions, empirical research, policy advocacy, international exchanges, etc., so as to promote the equal development of children, social equity and common prosperity.

Li Wei, Chairman of China Development Research Foundation (CDRF)


Li Wei, Chairperson of Committee on Population and Environmental Resources of CPPCC and Chairman of the CDRF, stated in his speech that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period and beyond, the existing issues, including the declining birthrate and aging of the Chinese population, as well as the long-standing urban-rural gap, regional gap, and the still widening digital divide, are still posing challenges to national competitiveness and the sustainable development of the society. It is a matter of great urgency to increase the investment in children's nutrition, health, upbringing, and education, and raising the quality of human capital in China.


Representatives of the donors attending this event expressed their consents and appreciations for the significance of establishing the Fund and hoped to jointly promote sustainable development and social equity in China starting at child stage.


The donors representatives include Maurice Greenberg, Chairman & CEO of Starr Companies; Noel Quinn, Group Chief Executive of HSBC Holdings plc; Ray Dalio, Chairman of Bridgewater Associates; Michael A. Wells, CEO of Prudential plc; Isabel Ge Mahe (Ge Yue), Apple's vice-president and managing director of Greater China; Huang Zhaohui, CEO of China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC); John Zhao, Chairman & CEO of Hony Capital; Neil Shen, Global Managing Partner of Sequoia Capital; Zhang Wenzhong, Founder of Wumart and Chairman of Dmall; Zhang Bangxin, Co-founder and Chairman of TAL Education, etc.


Lu Mai, who first advocated setting up the fund and Vice Chairman of the CDRF, said that for a country to achieve long-term development, focus must fall on children, especially those from low-income families. The lack of access for those children to proper public services such as health, education and protection in a long period will be a great loss to the development of individuals, society and the country.


Lu Mai, Vice President of the CDRF


He said that the fund will continue to take the "A Bright Start for Every Child" as its mission, promoting the fairness of baseline outcomes, the fairness of the starting point and the fairness of opportunity for child. Starting from the education, health and upbringing of children at all stages, the fund would strive to promote the equitable development of children, especially children from low-income families. The China Child Development Fund jointly initiated by ten enterprises and the foundation is a sign of trust and encouragement to the foundation, which also means greater responsibility to the foundation. The CDRF hope to continue to work side by side with its partners, and welcome new friends sharing its aspirations to join the initiative.


The China Development Research Foundation (CDRF) is a public foundation initiated by the Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC). In the first year of the "14th Five-Year Plan" and the comprehensive implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, which is also the historical intersection of the two Centennial Goals, the newly established China Child Development Fund will be supporting research and innovation in the field of the development of children in China. The fund will also provide practical experience and policy references for the future development and human capital accumulation of China, contributing to child development and social justice in China.