12.10.19

Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Offices Now Serving as Professional Supervisory Units

The Ministry of Public Security’s 2019 list of eligible PSUs does not include the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office functional hierarchy (or xitong). This makes a total of seven xitongs that are currently sponsoring foreign NGOs at some level,...
06.10.19

How Does My Organization Contact a National-Level Professional Supervisory Unit?

Contact information for some of the Ministry of Public Security-approved Professional Supervisory Units (PSUs), as provided by the Ministry of Public Security.
06.10.19

How Can My NGO Operate Before It Finds a Professional Supervisory Unit?

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has not offered formal guidance on this point, though it is becoming more pressing for NGOs who have been unable to obtain sponsorship from unresponsive Professional Supervisory Units (PSUs). Several NGOs have...
05.21.19

Have Any Foreign NGOs Been Denied Registration or Had Their Temporary Activities Shut Down?

The China NGO Project is not aware of any groups who have been explicitly denied registration by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) or by a provincial Public Security Bureau (PSB). Similarly, we are not aware of any groups who have had their...
05.17.19

If My NGO Wants to Work Throughout China Does It Need a National-Level Professional Supervisory Unit?

Though the Ministry of Public Security does not appear to have issued official written guidance on this point, the registrations of multiple foreign NGO representative offices show that groups registered at the provincial level can indeed work...
05.17.19

Our Group Works in Multiple Areas, How Do We Find an Official Sponsor?

Per information provided at a meeting between Ministry of Public Security (MPS) representatives and foreign diplomats in 2016, a foreign NGO that works in multiple sectors (for example, environment and education) should identify the “main” sector of...
04.30.19

Professional Supervisory Unit List Updated for 2019

On April 29, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) published an updated list of approved Professional Supervisory Units (PSUs) and fields of activity for foreign NGOs working in China. This is the MPS’ first formal update to the original PSU list,...
11.05.18

One New Professional Supervisory Unit Appeared in October

According to information from the MInistry of Public Security’s website, a new Professional Supervisory Unit (PSU) became a foreign NGO sponsor last month. The Guangdong Youth Federation, a provincial-level branch of the All-China Youth Federation,...
07.25.18

Ministry of Civil Affairs Releases Notice about PSU Applications

from China Development Brief
The Ministry of Civil Affairs published this notice in June 2018. It was translated by China Development Brief and first appeared on its website.Notice from the Ministry of Civil Affairs regarding “The Work Method for the Ministry of Civil Affairs...
05.30.18

What if There Is No Professional Supervisory Unit for the Type of Work My NGO Does?

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) is approving new Professional Supervisory Units (PSUs) to sponsor foreign NGOs, in addition to those that were originally included on the 2017 list of eligible PSUs. As of May 1, at least 11 unlisted PSUs have...
05.23.18

Will 2018 Be the Year of a Silent Foreign NGO Exodus?

Despite People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.) officials’ statements to the contrary, it is clear that 2017 was more of a “soft launch” for the Foreign NGO Law, a year of ambiguity and improvisation for both foreign NGOs and for the public security...
05.03.18

Foreign NGO Registration and Filing Data Now Available through April 2018

Statistics showing the number of foreign NGOs that have filed for temporary activities or established representative offices from January 2017 through April 2018 are now available as part of our suite of data visualizations.
03.20.18

Four Provinces Conduct Foreign NGO-Related Outreach

The foreign NGO management offices of three separate provincial public security bureaus (PSBs) recently conducted outreach activities on college campuses related to the Foreign NGO law.
03.05.18

February Foreign NGO Data Now Available—with a Few Changes to Our Categorization Scheme

We’ve updated our monthly tallies of foreign NGO temporary activities and representative offices as well as our graphics showing which Chinese government entities are serving as Professional Supervisory Units (and which are not). As we do...
02.22.18

Ministry of Public Security Hosts Conference for Foreign NGO Representatives

Today, the Ministry of Public Security Foreign NGO Management Office, together with the Beijing Public Security Bureau (PSB) Foreign NGO Management Office, held a conference with representatives of foreign NGOs in China.
02.22.18

Provincial Public Security Bureaus Commemorate One Year of the Foreign NGO Law, Conduct Outreach

Today, the Zhejiang Public Security Bureau (PSB) Foreign NGO Management Office used new media to heighten awareness of the Foreign NGO Law after one year of implementation, resulting in a number of provincial and local news sites re-sharing and...
02.16.18

Meetings with Professional Supervisory Units in Guangxi and Shanxi, Annual Report Training in Beijing

Today, Shanxi held a meeting for foreign NGO Professional Supervisory Units (PSUs). Representatives from each of the province’s 42 PSUs participated. (Note: This likely refers to eligible PSUs, as Shanxi had registered no representative offices as...
02.02.18

Chinese Civil Society in 2018: What’s Ahead?

Wang Yongmei, Anthony Saich & more
The impetus for this event is it’s about a year since the new Foreign NGO Law was implemented in China. There was also another law implemented in 2016, the Charity Law, that governs how domestic NGOs function in China. But there’s a lot more going...
11.29.17

UPDATED: Provincial Public Security Bureau Not Sponsoring a Taiwanese NGO in Liaoning

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) now lists the provincial Department of Commerce as the Taiwan Trade Center’s Professional Supervisory Unit (PSU) in Liaoning. The Taiwan Trade Center confirmed to The NGO Project that the Department of Commerce...
11.14.17

After Ten Months, What Do We Still Not Know?

As we approach one year since the Foreign NGO Law went into effect, these are some of the common questions and concerns we’re hearing from legal professionals, scholars, funders, and NGOs themselves—along with any answers we are able to offer. The...
11.01.17

Fact Sheet on China’s Foreign NGO Law

What is the Foreign NGO Law, and why did the P.R.C. create it? The “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Administration of Activities of Overseas Nongovernmental Organizations in the Mainland of China” was adopted by the National People’s...
10.25.17

New Flowchart Comparing Representative Office and Temporary Activity Processes

We’ve just posted a new analysis juxtaposing the process for registering a representative office and for filing a temporary activity. In particular, the flowchart highlights the differing points in the process during which an application or filing...
10.18.17

Open and Honest Communication with Public Security Bureaus Advised by One Foreign NGO

On October 17, the China Philanthropy Research Institute (CPRI) at Beijing Normal University published an interview with The Asia Foundation in both English and Chinese. The Asia Foundation noted that the Foreign NGO Law offered them the ability to...
09.25.17

Progress in Implementing the Foreign NGO Law

Shawn Shieh
After a slow start, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and its provincial Public Security Bureaus (PSBs) seem to be finding their stride in implementing the Foreign NGO Law with the rate of registering representative offices and filing “temporary...
09.19.17

Poverty Alleviation Office Issues Foreign NGO Guidelines; Guangdong Chats with Hong Kong NGOs

The State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development has issued guidelines for NGOs requesting the Office to serve as its Professional Supervisory Unit or as its Chinese Partner Unit for representative offices and temporary...
09.05.17

Which Professional Supervisory Units Are Sponsoring Foreign NGOs?

Following are the Professional Supervisory Units that have sponsored a (or multiple) foreign NGO representative office(s).
08.24.17

Professional Supervisory Unit Releases Filing and Application Procedures for Potential Foreign NGO Partners

The State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development issued two documents on August 22 outlining the procedures for foreign NGOs seeking to register a representative office or file a temporary activity in conjunction with...
08.24.17

CPRI Posts Interview with the Ford Foundation

On August 21, the China Philanthropy Research Institute (CPRI) at Beijing Normal University published an interview with Elizabeth Knupp of the Ford Foundation in both English and Chinese, discussing Ford’s history in China and its registration...
08.24.17

Shaanxi Public Security Bureau Talks Foreign NGOs with Hong Kong Government; Shandong Trains Local Police; Hainan Meets Local PSUs; Liaoning Chats with Slovenian Consulate

On August 16, the Beijing Public Security Bureau (PSB) Foreign NGO Management Office met with Italian NGO “International Cooperation Volunteer Group—Our Homeland,” and presented the group with its registration certificate. Also present were...
08.15.17

What If My NGO’s Application Is Rejected?

Can my organization appeal if public security officials reject our request to establish a representative office or prohibit our temporary activity?According to one source, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has stated on multiple occasions that...
08.09.17

What if My Organization Can’t Find a Professional Supervisory Unit Willing to Sponsor Us?

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has not offered clear guidance about this apparently common problem. The China NGO Project has learned from several foreign NGOs that many PSUs are either unprepared to or unwilling to sponsor foreign NGOs,...
06.30.17

New Analysis: Four More Previously Unlisted Entities Become Professional Supervisory Units

A total of six entities, not originally included in the Ministry of Public Security’s 2017 list of eligible Professional Supervisory Units (PSUs), have now sponsored foreign NGO representative offices. More details about the newest of these PSUs can...
06.30.17

Four More Previously Unlisted Entities Become PSUs

Jessica Batke
Based on data released on June 28, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has permitted four additional entities to become Professional Supervisory Units (PSUs) for foreign NGOs. The addition of these four new PSUs confirms that the MPS is actively...
06.22.17

New Analysis on (Non-)PSUs

To complement our chart on which government agencies are serving as Professional Supervisory Units (PSUs) for foreign NGOs, we’ve written a separate analysis looking at what agencies are not serving as PSUs. Check it out here.
06.14.17

An Article Worth Reading

On June 13, South China Morning Post published a thorough report by Nectar Gan that details the experiences of foreign NGOs since the Foreign NGO Law went into effect this year.
06.02.17

Ministry of Public Security Appears to be Making New Organs Eligible to Sponsor Foreign NGOs

A comparison of the list of Professional Supervisory Units (PSUs) that have already sponsored foreign NGOs and the Ministry of Public Security’s (MPS’) list of eligible PSUs for 2017 shows that, as of June 1, two entities that were not on the...
05.30.17

Professional Supervisory Unit List Now Available as a Sortable Table

We’ve combined the Ministry of Public Security’s 2017 list of approved Professional Supervisory Units with China Law Translate’s translation of the same, creating a table that you can sort alphabetically by any column. Check out the table here.
04.24.17

Registered Foreign NGO Representative Offices

This interactive map shows the approximate location of foreign NGOs’ representative offices in China. Click on a foreign NGO name in the sidebar to zoom in to that location on the map and display a pop-up containing the NGO’s Chinese name, country/...
04.23.17

How Can My NGO Find an Official Sponsor in a Given Province?

Some provincial Public Security Bureaus have posted lists of Professional Supervisory Units (PSUs). The following are links to all the provincial-level PSU lists (in Chinese) that The China NGO Project was able to find online. All lists are in...