Draft Chinese law puts NGOs' future on the line
Proposed legislation could trigger exodus of foreign charities from the mainland and threaten survival of local groups, experts say
A proposed law on the management of foreign charities would drive out many groups operating on the mainland and harm domestic non-government organisations that rely on them for funding and help, if enacted in its present form, say experts on NGOs and rights groups.
Thursday marks the end of the public consultation period for the draft Foreign NGO Management Law, which is part of a raft of legislation that includes laws on national security and counterterrorism.
Although the law's preamble says its aim is to protect foreign NGOs and to "promote exchange and cooperation", the law will severely limit the scope of those organisations, experts say.
Analysts said the decision to subject the groups to police oversight and to insist that they "must not endanger China's national unity, national security, or ethnic unity" showed that foreign NGOs were viewed with suspicion as potential subversive forces that could threaten China's national security.
The legislation would also require the groups to go through a complicated and restrictive approval process, which will involve so much resources and bureaucracy that many groups would no longer be able to carry on operating, experts say.
Under the proposed legislation, foreign NGOs must be sponsored by a government organisation and be registered with the police.