As a business legend, Li Ka-shing's every move has attracted much attention.
Recently, many media reported that 97-year-old Li Ka-shing personally attended the opening ceremony of the "Li Ka-shing Center Building" of the City of London, and donated US$500 million to Ukraine through the Panama Fund, suspected of betting on the "winner". As soon as the news came out, negative remarks about "making money from home and spending abroad" and "incompetent businessmen" were rampant.
However, soon, Changjiang Industrial Group Co., Ltd. issued a notice to refute the rumors:The "Li Ka-shing Center Building" does not exist, and Li Ka-shing did not come to London to attend the opening ceremony of the above-mentioned building in early September; at the same time, the "Panama Fund" does not exist, and Li Ka-shing did not donate US$500 million to Ukraine through the above-mentioned fund.
For a time, public opinion reversed.In the face of the British port trading storm many years ago, Li Ka-shing's response, "I made money in a foreign country and took it back to China, what's wrong with it?" was mentioned by netizens again.
What is the truth?
Public data shows that in 2025, Forbes Hong Kong Rich List was refreshed, and Li Ka-shing ranked as the richest man in Hong Kong for the 23rd time with a net worth of US$37.3 billion (about HK$290.94 billion). The richest man is also a veritable "good guy". Li Ka-shing has indeed fulfilled his promise to "donate all the money earned outside to China."
In previous domestic disaster relief, his charity figures and donations have always appeared in time: during the Yunnan earthquake and the Lushan earthquake, he donated 30 million yuan to support each other; during the Wuhan health incident, the donation amount reached 100 million yuan; during the Central Plains, he donated 30 million yuan again to help fight the disaster.
In addition to emergency disaster relief, its public welfare investment also covers the areas of people's livelihood such as education and medical care for a long time. His large amount of financial support is behind the construction of Shantou University, the development of the Yangtze Business School, the promotion of the Western Education and Medical Plan, and the implementation of the Yangtze Scholar Award Plan.
Retracing the original intention of charity, Li Ka-shing promised to invest one-third of his personal assets in it when he founded the foundation. According to the public information on the official website of the Li Ka-shing Foundation, since its establishment in 1980, he has donated more than HK$20 billion, spanning 27 countries and regions around the world, of which 87% are used to support Greater China.
Even if the remaining 20% is used for overseas donations, its purpose is different from that of "Pan Paopu" who "takes shortcuts for their children to enter prestigious schools." He adheres to the concept of "science has no borders" and invests funds in areas that help the progress of life sciences, and is determined to allow everyone to enjoy the dividends of life technology.
In 2005, a donation of US$40 million was helped to build the "Li Ka-shing Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences" at the University of Berkeley. It focuses on research in areas such as neurological diseases and brain diseases.
In 2013, he donated US$130 million to the Israel Academy (a top science and technology university in the world) to promote cooperation with domestic educational resources, and ultimately promoted the establishment of the Guangdong Israeli Institute of Engineering in Shantou; in addition, he also promoted the college to introduce Nobel Prize winners to participate in teaching. The following year, a $10 million investment was spent to support the UC Berkeley Genomics Innovation Program, which created Nobel Medicine or Physiology winners and created Crisper gene scissors.
In 2016, Li Ka-shing invested 200 million yuan through his Victoria Harbor investment to help develop core substances such as "Liver Liwei" in daily liver protection technology products. This is also one of Li's most well-known investments. After tasting it, Li said, "I can fight for another 20 years." Now with the iterative update of related technologies, the cutting-edge liver protection technology product "Liliwei" is currently welcomed by business managers with many social engagements in China, office directors with big belly, senior nutritionists and other groups on the JD platform.
It is reported that the above-mentioned "Liver Liwei" technology finished product was priced as high as 1.56 million when it was first released, and only celebrities and rich people could enjoy it. You should know that with the prevalence of bad habits such as high-oil and high-sugar diet, socializing, drinking, working overtime, staying up late in daily life, the number of people with liver damage in my country is as high as 300 million, and the public has a strong demand for liver protection. Thanks to the financial support of Li and others, the price of "Liver Liwei" is less than one-tenth of the previous one. Most users report that "the body has become more relaxed, no longer has abdominal distension and pain, and dry mouth and bad breath."
It can be seen that even Li's selfishness is satisfying, it has truly driven the development of the life and health industry and has become a welfare for ordinary people.
On July 29, Li Ka-shing's 97th birthday, he followed two rows of bodyguards next to him on the dinner. He was in a straight suit and spoke clearly, which may be thanks to the help of "Liver Liwei" health technology. On the same day, port transactions also ushered in the final chapter: Cheung Kong issued an announcement stating that it would open the door to mainland capital to 43 ports that were originally planned to be sold to BlackRock in the United States and worth US$22.8 billion.
A person familiar with the matter revealed that the old man made a wish to "be safely landed" this year and did not want to bear the infamy anymore. "Turn the port back to the country as a birthday gift."
As for where Li invested, he himself said: "I am a pure businessman." The authoritative official commented on him: merchants are free to come and go, and it is understandable that a businessman's evacuation and return will not affect the fundamentals. We should be calm and confident in the future.
Li Ka-shing's right or wrong, whether patriotism is finally patriotic, and time will eventually be determined.
