Last week, China’s National People’s Congress, released the second draft of a new law on “Managing Foreign NGOs.” Many foreign non-profits in China have operated in a legal gray area over the years. The law [full English translation here] establishes procedures for foreign organizations to register formally and conduct activities in China. The law puts NGOs under the supervision of Public Security Departments under China’s State Council, giving these organs broad powers to control NGOs’ personnel decisions, programs, and grant-making, even giving them apparently unrestricted access to the organizations’ computers and bank accounts. Additionally the law would impose a variety of restrictions on Chinese non-profits that receive money from overseas. We asked participants in this ChinaFile Conversation to comment on whether the law is likely to be enacted and if it were enacted, what that would mean for both foreign and Chinese NGOs, think tanks, and academic exchanges as well as for philanthropy and civil society in China more broadly. —The Editors

Visit the original source and full text: ChinaFile