Chinese real estate tycoon Pan Shiyi has found himself in hot water after donating $15 million to Harvard University for a scholarship fund. Such a large sum of money, amounting to about 100 million yuan, has sparked an intense online debate.

As a high-profile entrepreneur known for his distinctive personality, Pan is a prominent voice on Chinese social media. He soon responded to online queries and speculations, saying the scholarship was set up exclusively for underprivileged Chinese students who study at Harvard.

But his explanation only seemed to add fuel to the debate. His supporters believed that Pan's donation is for a good cause, and he has every right to do this because it is not against the law. But many others argued that Pan should have chosen to donate to poor students back in China, the thought being that few of Harvard's 800-strong population of Chinese students need financial help as badly as students in the remote countryside on the brink of dropping out.

Other rumors speculated that Pan is using the scholarship to gin up publicity for his company and get a green card for his son to study at Harvard.

This isn't the first such online dust-up. The most recent came when Zhang Lei, a venture capitalist, donated about $9 million to his alma mater Yale University. Reacting to the news, some Chinese netizens went so far as to call him a "traitor." They gave the same reason: Millions of Chinese students cannot afford education in the first place, and their problems should be addressed first.

Such rhetoric is clearly what many perceive as a moral high ground, from which they are free to judge others as they please. But they lack the vision to look at a big picture.

Chinese enterprises have become increasingly globalized, building brands with worldwide recognition. It is inevitable that they will become more involved in the communities where they operate. One way is by increasing their contributions to those communities, as Pan clearly has.

Quite a few international companies have taken similar steps in China. Peking University HSBC Business School is the result of such a cooperation between a Chinese university and a foreign bank. This approach is of significant importance for China as it seeks to enhance its image and soft power in the international community.

There is no doubt that philanthropy, although for a good cause, still provokes controversies. But it needs to be estimated fairly and impartially. Selfish and short-sighted mind-sets, like those of Pan's critics, should be set aside.