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2010 News Releases

For Immediate Release

August 31, 2010

Manulife-Sinochem launches "37°C Charity Sale"

Shanghai Manulife Sinochem (MSL) staff and agents will be selling special “love lights” for 2½ months to raise funds for eye treatment for elderly cataract sufferers in poor areas in Sichuan province. The fund-raising project, called “37°C Charity Sale,” is organized in cooperation with the Sichuan disabled foundation. The small wall lights feature a stylized holder and a long-life bulb, symbolic of the gift of light and warmth. MSL, the first joint venture insurance company in China, has organized an annual corporate social responsibility project for the past 7 years, beginning in 2004.

With the help of the Sichuan Disabled Foundation, volunteers from Manulife-Sinochem also visited Qianfo village in Sichuan on August 5 to meet some of the senior citizens affected. “This was my first time to see such a deprived place. Due to poor sanitation, most of the elderly in the village suffer from cataracts,” one volunteer said.

Cataract surgery is too expensive for many retirees. Many rural and underprivileged areas have a high population of senior citizens living apart from their children who have left to work in the city. Without care from family, medical treatment and living expenses are problematic.

“37°C is the human body temperature and we want to bring this warmness to underprivileged people,” said Mr. James Lin, President of Manulife-Sinochem. “Community giving, like an insurance plan, is a long-term commitment, and Manulife-Sinochem is dedicated to contributing to needy populations as part of our social responsibility to Chinese communities. We hope to help many of our valuable senior citizens to see again.”

As a strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking company, MSL is committed to being socially responsible in the communities where it operates. Over the past ten years, MSL has supported more than a dozen organizations working on behalf of worthwhile causes for the betterment of society. Donations included RMB 5 million to reconstruct 6 special schools for disabled children in Sichuan and assisting 100 libraries for students in underprivileged communities. Over the past 11 years, MSL has also been an active participant in the “Terry Fox” charity run to raise funds for cancer research.

About Manulife-Sinochem

Manulife-Sinochem is a joint venture company between Manulife (International) Limited and China Foreign Economy and Trade Trust Company (a member of the Sinochem group). It was the first Chinese-foreign joint-venture life insurance company established in China. Manulife-Sinochem began operations in November 1996 and to date the Company has more than 12,000 professionally trained agents and employees, providing financial and insurance services to over 500,000 customers. The company is now developing in over 40 cities in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Shandong, Fujian, Chongqing, Liaoning and Tianjin. With more than ten years’ successful experience, Manulife-Sinochem is committed to providing strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking insurance products and services to our clients.

Manulife-Sinochem can be found on the internet at www.manulife-sinochem.com.

About Manulife Financial

Manulife Financial is a leading Canadian-based financial services group operating in 22 countries and territories worldwide. For more than 120 years, clients have looked to Manulife for strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions. Our international network of employees, agents and distribution partners offers financial protection and wealth management products and services to millions of clients. We provide asset management services to institutional customers worldwide as well as reinsurance solutions, specializing in life and property and casualty retrocession. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$454 billion (US$428 billion) as at June 30, 2010. The Company operates as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as ‘MFC’ on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under ‘945’ on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at www.manulife.com.

About Sinochem

As one of the key state-owned enterprises under the supervision of SASAC (State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council), Sinochem Group has been named among the “Fortune Global 500” list 20 times, ranking 203rd in 2010. Sinochem has five business segments including agriculture, energy, chemical, real estate and finance. It is China’s largest integrated agricultural company with fertilizer, pesticide and seed product operations. It is China’s fourth largest oil company and leading chemical service provider. It also enjoys strong influence in China’s high-end commercial real estate market and non-banking financial market. Sinochem has more than 200 branches and subsidiaries both in China and abroad and three listed companies: Sinochem International (SSE, 600500); SinoFert (HKEX, 00297); and Franshion Properties (HKEX, 00817). On June 1, 2009, Sinochem made a major move to inject most of its assets into a shareholding entity “Sinochem Corporation”. More than 30,000 employees support Sinochem’s spirit of exploration and innovation, following the vision of “Creating Value, Pursuing Excellence”. Sinochem is dedicated to enhancing corporate value and building an iconic company worldwide.

Sinochem can be found on the Internet at www.sinochem.com.

For more information, please contact:

In China:
Margaret Wang
Manulife-Sinochem, Public Relations
Tel: (86) 21 5359 4770 - 8624
Fax: (86) 21 6362 0189
Margaret_wang@manulife-sinochem.com

In Asia:
Juliana Gittler
Manulife Financial, Regional Communications
Tel: (852) 2202 1501  
Fax: (852) 2510 5889
juliana_gittler@manulife.com