FAQ
We regularly update this list of questions with information drawn from Chinese law, official statements, and our interviews about NGOs’ on-the-ground experiences
According to the NGOs in China blog’s summary of guidance provided by the Ministry of Public Security at a 2016 Q&A session, “Article 21 [of the law] permits foreign NGOs to use ‘other funds legally acquired within China’ for their activities in China. This means income or revenue is allowed as long as the foreign NGO keeps its not-for-profit nature, namely, will not distribute dividends or profit to its shareholders [or] owners.”Read more
The Ministry of Public Security’s main NGO website lists temporary activities (in Chinese). The China NGO Project also maintains a sortable chart with English translations, including the area and dates of activity and the name of the Chinese Partner Unit.Read more
The Ministry of Public Security has not offered clear guidance on this point. The China NGO Project hopes to learn from foreign NGOs what level of detail groups included in their successful annual plan submissions.Read more
According to an interview the Guangdong MPS gave to NGOCN, a Chinese national may serve as a foreign NGO’s chief representative in China. The individual’s identity card will be required as proof of identity.Read more
A PSU’s precise role vis-a-vis its sponsored foreign NGO remains unclear at this stage in implementation. Many foreign NGOs report uncertainty about the nature of the relationship and have expressed a desire for greater clarity about the parameters of PSU management, but there is, as yet, no official Ministry of Public Security guidance nor enough real-world experience to determine how PSUs on the whole interact with their sponsored foreign NGOs.Read more