Presumably, Bill and Melinda Gates are routinely, if not incessantly, inundated with requests and suggestions encouraging them to make donations.

What's much less predictable is having these proposals come from another Forbes tycoon.

Hong Kong businessman Fong Yun-wah, a philanthropist in his own right, has written an open letter to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation offering donation suggestions.

Fong, ranked among the Forbes top 40 wealthiest men in Hong Kong, is at the helm of Hip Shing Hong, which owns at least 1.5 million square meters of rental space in Hong Kong, including Hip Shing Hong Center, shops and luxury apartments.

In his letter, Fong suggested the setting up of a prize similar to the Nobel Prize for distinguished social, hospitalization and voluntary services, as well as rescue operations in natural disasters.

An extraterrestrial-space as well as terrestrial real estate enthusiast, he has an asteroid named after him. Here on earth, there are two buildings at Chinese University of Hong Kong named after Fong and his father.

Fong said most people admire the Gates couple's farsighted generosity, good deeds and sound decisions for the benefit of mankind, especially in some of the poorer, dauntingly challenged regions, such as Africa.

According to reports, the Gates Foundation had an endowment of $35.1 billion as of October 2008. Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda created the foundation in 2000, having contributed to it the bulk of their wealth.

The current focus of work of the foundation is healthcare and poverty reduction in developing countries, and the promotion of education and IT in America.

Fong's open letter suggested that the foundation could donate money toward building high school projects worldwide, and for building clinics and hospitals for the cure and prevention of difficult diseases.

Fong has also recommended the setting up of scholarships for students from poor countries to study computer science, medical and social sciences in US universities.

With the human spirit, as well as humanity's material conditions, in mind, he also suggested the promotion of Confucianism for the promotion of morality, harmony, goodwill and peace - to which he could have added the kind of philanthropy that he practices and encourages.

China Daily

(HK Edition 03/11/2010 page3)