Beijing to change law to punish any person or group that harms image of Red Cross Society of China

The National People’s Congress is overhauling the 23-year-old law on the Red Cross Society of China, vowing to punish any person or group that further smears the charity’s already tarnished image, mainland media report.

The revisions by the top legislative body come after a series of scandals in recent years undermined the reputation of the charity, which is not affiliated with the International Red Cross.

A draft amendment tabled on Monday sets out the legal responsibilities of the public and staff at China’s Red Cross, the mainland’s largest charitable organisation and a body with close ties with the government.

Any one who “fabricates, publishes and disseminates false information that smears the reputation of the Red Cross”, who “misappropriates or abuses the funds or assets of the Red Cross” or “pretends to be someone else, misuses or tampers with the name and label of the Red Cross” would receive administrative punishment, or even be subject to criminal law, The Beijing News reported.

The draft says the Red Cross should set up mechanisms to independently audit and monitor its funds and assets.

It also calls on the charity to be transparent about the donations it receives.

But the legislative bill, now in its first reading, does not specify how those changes should be ­implemented.

The existing law managing the charity’s operations was passed in 1993.

The charity’s public image was battered in 2011 when a woman called Guo Meimei flaunted luxury goods online while claiming to work for the organisation. Guo was later jailed for five years after being convicted of running an illegal casino.

Although her claims of links to the Red Cross were confirmed as false, the reputation of the organisation took another hit in 2013 after it was found to have directed earmarked funds to other projects without the consent of its donors.

Many observers said that any changes to the law needed to cut the charity’s dependence on and close links with the government, something the draft changes would not accomplish, The Beijing News reported.

Meanwhile, the legislature has also begun its first reading of a draft set of basic principles for a Civil Code – the nation’s fifth attempt to compile the collection of laws that are fundamental to personal rights.

Among the main points reportedly covered by the draft, human fetuses will be given legal rights; online virtual assets and digital information will be recognised as property; time limits for filing a lawsuit will be increased from two years to three years; and anyone found to have damaged the environment could also be asked to “restore” the ecology, in addition to financial punishment.

The draft also lowers the age limit for children viewed as having “capacity for civil conduct” from 10 to six, and expands the scope of people who should be placed under guardianship.

The first three attempts to compile a Civil Code since 1949 all failed due to political turmoil.

The fourth attempt, in 2002, was shelved because disagreements between legislators were too great.