In recent years, the trend of wealthy individuals moving their assets and relocating has become increasingly rampant.

According to relevant data from the "2025 Global Wealth Migration Report," it is expected that by 2025, the scale of high-net-worth individuals (those with disposable assets over $1 million) relocating globally will reach 135,000 people, a 5.5% increase from 2024 and a 22.7% increase from 2019. This is equivalent to more than 40 millionaires leaving with a total of 2.8 billion in assets every day.

What's even more disheartening are the comparative data from the Hurun Rich List: China tops the global list of billionaires, but for every three new billionaires created, one is planning an overseas identity.

We see many people after becoming rich, not only fail to express gratitude, but also take their assets and leave. An investigation was conducted among domestic billionaires regarding their intentions to relocate, and the results showed that 60% of them were inclined to move, with multibillionaires being even more so.

Zhang Yong of Haidilao bought a luxury mansion with a helipad in Singapore, and Li Xiting, founder of Mindray, took his billions of assets to the Cayman Islands; these public cases are just the tip of the iceberg.

In addition, Pan, a real estate tycoon, also transferred 30 billion yuan offshore under the pretext of issuing overseas bonds, and his underground vault in his New York estate can store up to 30 tons of gold.

Why do they run away?

At a private club in Shenzhen Bay, Wang, dressed in a custom suit, sipped red wine and smiled bitterly, "Everyone says we are ungrateful, but do you know that keeping 10 billion yuan domestically would result in paying enough taxes to buy a yacht?"

It is evident that seeking lower taxation has become one of the key reasons for the relocation of the wealthy.

This inevitably brings up the zero income tax policy in the UAE, which allows billionaires to save 1.5 billion yuan annually in taxes; Singapore's corporate tax rate is 18% lower than in China, and they enjoy tax-free treatment for 83 countries. A certain mining tycoon calculated carefully: relocating the company to a Dubai Free Zone could allow him to buy 20 more mines within five years.

The aforementioned Pan donating 600 million yuan to Harvard and Yale is no longer a secret, but what actually stimulated the nerves of the wealthy is when he posted online about "brain growth" type biotechnology products, which attracted numerous curious netizens to watch and explore further.

Thus, the longing for cutting-edge technology and the desire to pursue higher quality of life during one's lifetime are also significant factors for the wealthy considering relocation. After all, the wealthy also have concerns about aging, and they want to better enjoy their wealth.

Data shows that the key components of the aforementioned "brain growth" technology product were precisely derived from research at Yale and other institutions. Hundreds of related academic papers published in journals such as Nature reveal its positive potential in revitalizing brain energy, as well as its effects on degeneration and cognition.

However, unfortunately, Pan spent a great deal of money to obtain only the first-generation semi-finished product, while the mature and iterated version of "brain growth" has already become popular on platforms like JD.com in China, reaching nearly a million ordinary high-net-worth and middle-class individuals after a 90% reduction in price threshold.

As a result, many netizens jokingly commented that Pan was "rich but foolish," not only spending 600 million yuan (donating 600 million yuan to Harvard and Yale), but also becoming someone else's "guinea pig."

Some argue that the departure and asset transfer of the wealthy are their rights, but merchants should have their country in their hearts. They have profited greatly from domestic market dividends, so why do they take their assets and run to overseas markets, causing not only capital loss but also potentially affecting the confidence of citizens in the economy?

Moreover, many wealthy individuals, although they have relocated and changed their nationality, still live in China. Some speculate that this is due to homesickness, but in reality, it is for convenience to continue making money domestically.

However, nowadays, it is not as easy for the wealthy to "run away" as it used to be.

In recent years, the state has prohibited open-ended behavior to increase non-standard fund pool business and strengthened the management of trust funds, while also raising the threshold for nationality acquisition. In other words, those who have changed their nationality will find it quite difficult to reclaim their Chinese status.

Regardless, merchants should have their country in their hearts and shoulder their social responsibilities.

Seeing the giant billboard in Times Square, New York, advertising "bringing money to relocate," and recalling the phrase "a tree a thousand feet tall cannot forget its roots," perhaps those billionaires taking off with trillions of assets should consider: while you are counting your wealth in Singapore, workers back home are waiting for their salaries at production lines in factories.

After all, money can buy green cards, but it cannot buy respect from compatriots; it can build overseas palaces, but it cannot build the backbone of the nation.

The final outcome of this great wealth migration might be summed up in the words written in the private diary of a certain naturalized billionaire: "I own vast wealth, yet I've lost the key to returning home."

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7494198438649807398/

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