Kazakh with rare blood type praised for his generosity, economic contributions

Ruslan Tulenov (left) presents a Chinese ceramic cup during his visit to an HSBC branch in Qormi, Malta, in May. Tulenov, a Kazakh with the rare Rh-negative blood type, is known in China for his generosity in donating blood and his contributions to Hainan province's economic cooperation with the world. (CHINA DAILY)

Ruslan Tulenov, a Kazakh with the rare Rh-negative blood type, has made headlines in China for his generous blood donation over the years and his contributions to economic cooperation between China's island province of Hainan and the world.

With a yearning for the sea, 16-year-old Tulenov came to Hainan in 2009 from his home country to explore more opportunities.

Since Tulenov studied at Hainan University as an undergraduate student, he has donated more than 6,000 milliliters of his rare "panda blood" to save the lives of Chinese patients, which is about 1.5 times the amount of blood found in an adult.

His story was shared by President Xi Jinping during a speech at Kazakhstan's Nazarbayev University in 2013, in which he praised Tulenov as "a messenger of China-Kazakhstan friendship".

Tulenov watched the speech on television at his dormitory, but he never expected his "simple" act of kindness would be mentioned by the Chinese president.

His Chinese was even not good enough to understand that he was the protagonist at first because "the advanced words" are not often used by an international student.

Encouraged by the attention, Tulenov made a commitment to study and work hard, aiming to make contributions to the friendship between China and his home country.

"I thought I should study hard and not squander any time," Tulenov said, adding that he wished he could meet President Xi in person someday.

Tulenov's wish came true in 2022 when he had the opportunity to meet and speak with Xi during the president's inspection of Hainan.

Tulenov, who is the global media officer of the Hainan International Economic Development Bureau and deputy director of the bureau's investment promotion department, is responsible for attracting investment and engaging investors from all over the world.

In April, Tulenov visited the Boao Lecheng Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in Hainan Free Trade Port to learn about the policies to facilitate investment by a Swiss company.

He witnessed an operation in which an artificial cornea was used to help a boy born with poor eyesight.

The Lecheng pilot zone is introducing innovative foreign medicine and medical equipment.

"It usually takes five or six years for foreign medicines to get approval for use in China, but by collecting data, we might be able to reduce the time to six to eight months," Tulenov said.

The Hainan International Economic Development Bureau has organized the China International Consumer Products Expo, a bridge for global brands to enter the Chinese market via Hainan, since 2021.

The expo has provided a new platform for global enterprises to showcase their quality products and share development opportunities.

"After Kazakhstan attended the CICPE, cooperation between different parties has been conducted. I have seen Kazakh products in some supermarkets in Haikou," Tulenov said.

He added that his mother owns a little grocery shop at home, which mostly sells Chinese products.

"My mother used to tell me that when you grow up, you need to be kind to people and help others whenever you can," he said.