The recently promulgated foreign NGO Law in China will come into effect on January 1st 2017 and will place stringent constrains on the registration, operation and funding of more than 7,000 foreign NGOs. For example, all foreign NGOs will be required to have an official Chinese sponsor and will not be allowed to raise funds in China.
Public opinion on this law remains divided. Some regard it as a milestone for “Rule of Law” and contend that more foreign NGOs will flourish as long as they follow this legal framework. Others argue that the essence of this new law is to tighten the control of foreign NGOs. How the law will be implemented is still unclear, but further official details are expected to be released in the coming months.
The webinar provided some of the background behind the formulation of the foreign NGO Law, reviewed some of the specific meanings of the articles within the law while trying to clarify which organizations this law would be applicable to and finally made suggestions on some of the actions that can be taken by foreign NGOs to address the law.
Please watch to the video recording below for more details on the the webinar.
