Today, the Tianjin Public Security Bureau (PSB) Foreign NGO Management Office held a “Service Day” activity. Among those attending were the chief representatives from eight foreign NGOs based in Tianjin; representatives from eight Professional Supervisory Units (PSUs), including the municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs, Education Commission, Commerce Commission, General Labor Union, Bureau of Foreign Experts Affairs, Taxation Administration, Entry-Exit Administration, and the People’s Bank of China; as well as individuals from other government departments and tertiary educational institutions engaged in related work. PSUs “patiently” answered foreign NGOs’ questions related to various offices’ roles and responsibilities, foreigners’ visas, work permits, and bank accounts, and tax reporting.
All of the foreign NGOs in attendance thanked the PSB for its assistance and for organizing the event. In addition, the International Silkroad Trade and Culture Association (Turkey) and the China Cable Chamber of Commerce (Hong Kong) talked about their enthusiasm for working in concert with China’s “One Belt, One Road” policies and helping Chinese enterprises “go outward.” The China Cable Chamber of Commerce also highlighted its charitable works—such as providing comestibles to disabled and orphaned local children—in addition to its mission of assisting member enterprises in China. The Philip Hayden Foundation (United States) discussed its work focused on medical treatment and child welfare for the poor.
Today, the Beijing PSB Foreign NGO Management Office, in conjunction with local governments in the city’s Dongcheng, Xicheng, Chaoyang, Haidian, Fengtai, and Tongzhou districts, held a number of activities designed to raise awareness of the Foreign NGO Law. This included a lecture series, broadcast messages, the dissemination of informational materials, and providing consultation about the law itself.
The Jiangsu PSB Foreign NGO Management Office, together with authorities in 13 cities in the province, carried out of number of activities over the course of a month to publicize the Foreign NGO Law. Publicity methods varied between cities, but included “meticulously” creating cartoons to hang in the subway, creating a running group to spread the word as it jogged along, holding meetings and passing out informational materials and posters at PSU offices, hanging signs in local community areas, meeting with college and university foundations and foreign exchange departments, and visiting foreign NGOs and foreign NGO partners.
The Xinjiang PSB Foreign NGO Management Office met with the regional Student Financial Aid Center, the Urumqi Bureau of Education, China Travel Services (Holdings) Hong Kong Limited, and the Virtus Foundation (Hong Kong), the last of which was in Xinjiang to see the situation first-hand and develop international exchange cooperation. [The Virtus Foundation has carried out one temporary activity in China since the beginning of 2017, in Gansu province.]
Personnel from the Foreign NGO Management Office also met separately with the U.S.-based United Nations International Coordination Bureau [The China NGO Project could not confirm the English name of this organization, which appeared as 联合国国际协调局 in the original WeChat post] and the Federation of Farmers (Kazakhstan), as well as with two domestic NGOs, to discuss foreign NGO-related laws and policies.
In in the Aksu and Ili areas, public security officials went to other government offices, local communities, and school campuses to publicize the law.
Today, the Shanghai PSB Foreign NGO Management Office met with The Consumer Goods Forum (France). [The Consumer Goods Forum successfully registered an office in Shanghai in January 2018.] After establishing its representative office, the Forum has benefited Chinese enterprises and average people by actively responding to the Chinese government’s sustainable development and “One Belt, One Road” efforts. The Forum presented the PSB with a “thank you” banner for its assistance during the registration process.