On Dec. 26, the signing ceremony for the strategic cooperation between China Charity Federation (CCF) and China Zheshang Bank CO., LTD.(CZBANK) was held at CZBANK Beijing Branch. Gong Puguang, the First Party Committee Secretary and President of CCF, along with senior executives from CZBANK including Lu Jianqiang, the Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman, held a working discussion before the signing ceremony.

At the working discussion, Lu Jianqiang extended a warm welcome to the visit of Gong Puguang and his delegation, and presented an overview of CZBANK's operations and development. CZBANK has consistently adhered to the vision of being a "first-class commercial bank", comprehensively constructing a political ecosystem based on the five principles of "Integrity, Simplicity, Specialization, Collaboration, and Honesty", and adhering to a twelve-word operational policy of "Strengthening Foundations, Adjusting Structures, Controlling Risks, and Creating Benefits". Over the past nearly 20 years of establishment, CZBANK has rooted itself in Zhejiang Province, expanded nationwide, and achieved stable development. It has become a high-quality commercial bank with a solid foundation, excellent performance, and well-established risk management. As of now, the total assets of CZBANK have exceeded RMB 3 trillion. CZBANK has established 323 branches across 22 provinces nationwide (including autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government) and in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Effective coverage has been achieved over Zhejiang Province, the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Bohai Economic Rim, as well as the Economic Zone on the West Side of the Strait with certain regions in the central and western parts of China. In the "Top 1000 World Banks 2022" list by The Banker magazine, CZBANK ranked 79th based on Tier 1 capital, and has been ranked among the top 100 world banks for five consecutive years.

Lu Jianqiang stated that CZBANK upholds the concept of "Finance in Its Inherent Charity", consistently placing charity at the forefront of its financial functions. The bank endeavors to construct a comprehensive " CZBANK as Its Charity Model" system, clearly defining standards for "Charity" clients, and steadfastly commits to mutual growth alongside its "Charity" clients. Meanwhile, CZBANK innovates the "Charity-Driven Charity Trust" mode, assisting entrepreneurs in elevating their wealth, thereby shaping a new path for charitable causes guided by capital towards charity. Over the past three years, CZBANK's expenditure on donations in the field of public welfare and charity has exceeded RMB 76.49 million. In 2022, the expenditure on public welfare and charity amounted to over RMB 25.48 million, accounting for approximately 0.16% of the total profit. This fully demonstrates the sense of mission and patriotism of an outstanding corporation fulfilling its social responsibilities. He hopes that both sides can fully leverage their respective strengths in the future, deeply exploring the "Charity + Finance" model to empower public welfare and charity, supporting charitable causes, and jointly composing a new chapter in the high-quality development of the new era.

Gong Puguang first expressed heartfelt gratitude to CZBANK for its strong support to the work of CCF and the national charitable causes. He sincerely congratulated and extended best wishes for the past and future successful cooperation between both parties. He briefed Lu Jianqiang and others on the development of CCF over the past 30 years. CCF was established in 1994, it is the first national non-profit social organization directly managed by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and named "Charity" since the founding of the People's Republic of China. After nearly 30 years of accumulation, it has become a widely recognized "National Team" in the charity industry, earning the title of the "Vanguard" of China's charitable causes. It has been repeatedly recognized as an "Advanced National Social Organization" by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and has been consecutively awarded the title of "AAAAA-Level Social Organization" for 3 times at the national level since 2008. Currently, there are 547 institutional members and 20 individual members located nationwide. CCF extensively mobilizes social forces of compassion, sourcing charitable funds and materials from multiple sources. It implements charity projects in various fields such as emergency rescue, poverty alleviation, assistance for the elderly and orphans, medical aid, educational support, and teaching assistance. With the charity activities being carried out, it has formed a vast nationwide charitable aid network. By the end of 2022, a total of over RMB 150.6 billion worth of charitable funds and goods had been raised, providing various forms of assistance to tens of millions of people in need. It has become a significant force driving the development of the national charitable causes.

He mentioned that in recent years, CCF has placed emphasis on launching nationwide charitable projects such as the "Happy Homeland" Village & Community Mutual Aiding Project and the "Charitable Assistance for the Sick and Needy" Project, which actively contributed to supporting rural revitalization, participating in social governance, and advancing common prosperity. CCF not only maintains the necessary efficiency and vitality in the fundraising and execution of daily charity projects but also demonstrates a strong sense of responsibility as a national charitable organization in various emergency rescue efforts. During the recent earthquake rescue efforts in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, CCF promptly initiated a disaster relief public fundraising campaign, quickly receiving widespread responses from caring enterprises, social organizations, and compassionate individuals from all fields of society.

He also mentioned that last year, CCF and CZBANK jointly established the "Charitable Organization Asset Preservation and Appreciation Training Program," marking a good start to their collaboration. The signing of this Strategic Cooperation Agreement marks a new chapter in further strengthening and enhancing the strategic partnership between both parties. It is bound to serve as a vivid practice of the "Charity + Finance" model in China. This partnership will not only propel the mutual promotion and integrated development of finance and charity but also bring new vitality and vigor into the coordinated development of both parties in the economic and public welfare fields.

In the presence of Gong Puguang and Lu Jianqiang, Bian Zhiwei, the Secretary-General of CCF, and Jing Feng, the Vice President of CZBANK, signed the Agreement on behalf of both parties. The signing ceremony and working discussion were attended by several individuals including: Hu Chuanmu, the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission and President Assistant; Gao Shouhua, the Deputy Secretary-General and Director of the Finance Department; Zhang Xin, the Director of the Liaison Department (from CCF). And HU Zhenhua, the Director of the General Office; Guo Bin, the General Manager of Corporate Banking Department; Duan Lei, the General Manager of the Human Resources Department and Party Committee Organization Department; Wang Wengang, the Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Beijing Branch (from CZBANK).

Both parties also held the unveiling ceremony for the "CCF Charitable Organization Asset Preservation and Appreciation Project Management Office".