Big donations reflect rising soft power

Real estate tycoon Pan Shiyi and his wife donated $10 million to Yale University on Wednesday, drawing harsh criticism from some commentators and netizens. Many have said: Why not donate to schools in China?

Pan, billionaire and chairman of SOHO China, one of China's biggest prime office developers, donated $15 million to Harvard University in July, for which he was also criticized. The Pan couple have said that they would donate $100 million to renowned universities outside China.

Indeed, a large number of poor students in China need financial aid - more than that in the US, by any guess. But it is Pan and his wife, not others, who should decide which schools they want to help. Their decision should be respected, especially because the donated money will be used to help high-achieving Chinese students who get admitted to Harvard or Yale but cannot afford to pay the tuition and other costs. Students with family income of less than 65,000 yuan ($10,500) a year are eligible to apply for the aid.