Oei Hong Leong, former chairman of China Strategic Holdings

Oei Hong Leong was born in 1948 into a prominent business family of overseas Chinese in Makassar on the island of Celebes in Indonesia. His father, Oei Ek Tjhong, was a prominent business leader in Indonesia. In April 1955, during the Asian-African conference in Bandung, his father had a chance to meet with Premier Zhou Enlai. At this time he developed the idea to send his son to China for education. This had a significant impact on the life of Oei Hong Leong. Oei Hong Leong’s life story could be divided into several 10-year periods. He spent 10 years in Indonesia before moving to China for education; he studied and went to the Chinese countryside to work for 10 years, helping him become a China expert; he then went back to Indonesia and became a rising business star in just 10 years. In the first 10 years he spent in Singapore, he became an outstanding businessman. In the following 10 years he spent in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, he reached the peak of his business empire. In the 10 years after he returned to Singapore, he became a renowned financial investor. Modern China is a place where international investors converge and compete to conduct various dazzling large-scale investment transactions. Oei Hong Leong performed a miracle by buying all State-owned enterprises in one city, an unprecedented move even to this day.

Due to the far-reaching significance of the “Oei Hong Leong phenomenon” on Chinese enterprises, some Chinese entrepreneurs believe Oei Hong Leong’s contribution to Chinese enterprises’ capital operation knowledge could outdo the effects of 100 textbooks. The case study of China Strategic Holdings’ acquisition and transformation of Chinese enterprises has been included in textbooks for MBA programs at famous universities in China, Europe and the United States. Oei Hong Leong, after retirement from his business empire, is devoted to making his contribution to society. He works to uphold his social responsibility as an entrepreneur and a citizen. In 2003, he established the Oei Hong Leong Foundation. The decision will impact the rest of his life as he hopes to devote his time to charity and education.