在成功劝说多位美国亿万富翁同伴们捐赠大笔财富之后，比尔•盖茨(Bill Gates)与沃伦•巴菲特(Warren Buffett)正前往中国，结交中国新生富豪，向他们宣传慈善价值观。
但由于担心会被劝说捐献出自己的部分财富，中国的商业大亨中，或许会有些人不敢参加本月这两位美国亿万富翁在北京举行的晚宴。
受邀出席晚宴的有房地产开发商SOHO中国(SOHO China)首席执行官张欣，以及汽车及电池制造商比亚迪(BYD)董事长王传福。巴菲特是比亚迪的投资者之一。
但据中国媒体报道，比尔和梅林达•盖茨基金会(Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)北京项目负责人担心，一些受邀客人可能不愿意出席。
“少数人拒绝了出席晚宴的邀请，还有许多受邀者来电询问是否会要求他们在晚宴上做出捐赠承诺，”媒体引用基金会北京代表处主任叶雷(Ray Yip)的话报道称。
“他们最大的担心是自己会感到难堪，并处于尴尬境地，”叶雷说。这番言论被刊载在一家主要新闻门户网站和《经济观察报》上。上周五英国《金融时报》联系叶雷的发言人时，他没有否认这番言论。
叶雷表示，盖茨和巴菲特举行晚宴的目的是结交朋友，并与有意从事慈善事业的合作伙伴交流想法，而并非为了劝说中国大亨们捐款。
根据中国媒体的报道，盖茨和巴菲特可能会发信进行解释，让客人们放心，他们不会像当初美国富豪那样陷入两难境地。
这两位富豪今年6月在美国发起的活动，已成功获得多名美国富豪及其家族的支持。
中国富翁名单《胡润报告》(Hurun Report)的编撰者胡润(Rupert Hoogewerf)表示，许多中国人仍对捐赠者的动机表示怀疑。
“中国所有的慈善行为中，最重要的资金保管者总是政府，而且人们通常都怀有一种疑虑，认为许多捐赠并不是单纯的慈善行为，而是富商在收买影响力。”
但胡润对于这两位美国富豪在中国的工作感到乐观，特别是2008年四川地震之后——这场地震让许多中国企业家优先考虑的东西发生了变化。“比尔•盖茨与沃伦•巴菲特被中国企业家当作偶像崇拜，”他表示。“他们的到来可能会启动中国的慈善事业。”
译者/何黎
Having persuaded many of their billionaire peers in the US into giving away chunks of money, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are travelling to China to host newly minted Chinese tycoons to sell them on the value of philanthropy.
But the fear of being seduced into giving up part of their fortunes might have scared some of the tycoons away from a dinner that the crusading US billionaires are hosting in Beijing this month.
The exclusive list of attendees includes Zhang Xin, CEO of Chinese SOHO China, the real estate developer, and Wang Chuanfu, head of BYD, the car and battery maker, who counts Mr Buffett as an investor.
But according to the Chinese media, the head of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Beijing is worried that some invited guests might be reluctant to come.
“A small number of people declined the invitation to attend, while many of the invitees called to ask whether they would be required to pledge a donation at the dinner,” the director of the foundation’s China programme, Ray Yip, was quoted as saying.
“Their biggest fear is being embarrassed and put on the spot.” Mr Yip’s spokesperson did not dispute his comments, carried on a major news portal and the Economic Observer, when contacted on Friday.
Mr Yip said the dinner was intended to allow Mr Gates and Mr Buffett to get to know friends and exchange ideas about partners interested in charity, not to convince Chinese tycoons to make donations.
Mr Gates and Mr Buffett might send out an explanatory letter reassuring their guests that they would not be put on the spot in the way their US counterparts had been, according to Chinese media reports.
The pair’s initiative, launched in the US in June, has already secured support from many wealthy American individuals and their families.
Rupert Hoogewerf, who compiles the Hurun Report, China’s rich list, said many Chinese remained sceptical of the motivations of people donating money.
“The most important stakeholder in all charities in China is always the government, and there is usually a suspicion that a lot of donations are not pure philanthropy but rather influence-buying by wealthy business people.”
But Mr Hoogewerf was optimistic about the US pair’s work in China, especially after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, which changed the priorities of many Chinese entrepreneurs. “Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are idolised by Chinese entrepreneurs,” he said. “Their coming out here is likely to kickstart philanthropy in China.”
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