Expanding Public Health Initiatives in Belt and Road Countries
The GX Foundation, a Hong Kong-based charity, is actively expanding its public health initiatives in countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. This effort aligns with an increasing expectation for Chinese enterprises to consider the “social dimension” of their operations beyond mere foreign investment pursuits. The foundation’s chairman, Leung Chun-ying, who previously served as a city leader, emphasized this shift in focus.
On Tuesday, the foundation signed a memorandum of understanding with its business partners to launch a project focused on health risk prevention against dengue fever and other vector-borne diseases. This initiative targets two key projects in Cambodia: the Techo International Airport and the Funan Techo Integrated Water Resources Management project.
Leung highlighted the importance of addressing the social dimension by looking after communities near project sites. He noted that protecting construction workers is another critical aspect, as public health plays a vital role in economic development.
Collaborating for Better Health Outcomes
The collaboration with the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) was not solely based on the company’s Chinese origin but rather due to the nature of highway and water management projects, which often become routes for mosquito transmission. Disease prevention became essential in such scenarios.
Leung mentioned that the foundation has previously worked on disease prevention along the China-Laos Railway, achieving significant results. Similarly, they have conducted similar work on the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway. This success led to the renewal of the memorandum of understanding with CRBC for an additional year.
Following the successful disease prevention efforts on the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, CRBC requested the foundation to extend its work to the 180km Funan Techo Integrated Water Resources Management project, which employs 6,000 workers. The foundation conducts its activities in the sleeping quarters of the project site, using mosquito lamps to attract mosquitoes and then eliminating them with electricity.
Addressing Mosquito Breeding Grounds
Leung pointed out that the new Techo International Airport in Phnom Penh becomes waterlogged after rain, creating an ideal environment for mosquitoes to breed. To combat this, the foundation has carried out work to suppress mosquito numbers around the terminal building.
“As a node of international traveling, travelers and workers in the area will be affected if we don’t do something,” Leung said. Additionally, the general public of Cambodia visits the airport, making it essential to address the issue.
The recent collaborations in Cambodia—Techo International Airport and the Funan Techo Integrated Water Resources Management project—demonstrate the foundation’s continued deepening of health cooperation under the Belt and Road framework. According to statements from the charity, these initiatives underscore the tangible outcomes achieved through the active participation of Chinese non-governmental forces in co-building the “Health Silk Road.”
A Global Approach to Public Health
The foundation’s public health work extends to several countries, including East Timor, Honduras, Cambodia, Laos, and Vanuatu. Its programs focus on three main areas: cataract blindness elimination, the control of dengue fever and other vector-borne diseases, and water quality improvement. These efforts span across Asia, Africa, Central America, and the South Pacific.
In the first half of 2025, there was “the highest Belt and Road Initiative engagement ever” for any six-month period, according to figures from the Green Finance and Development Centre, a Shanghai-based think tank tracking Belt and Road activities. The period recorded US$66.2 billion in construction contracts and around US$57.1 billion in investments.
Leng Sunly, chairman of the board of the Funan Techo Coastal-Inland Waterway Company, stated that the canal project would make “a lasting contribution” to Cambodia’s economic growth and the well-being of its people. He added that the cooperation with GX Foundation would bring real social and health benefits to communities along the canal.
Through mosquito-control programmes, health awareness activities, and the elimination of cataract blindness project, the foundation aims to help improve living conditions and bring hope to many in need.
