Recently, the Jiangsu Public Security Bureau (PSB) Foreign NGO Management Office held a ceremony to give a registration certificate to the China Cross-Strait Exchange Association (Taiwan). PSB representatives offered their congratulations and expressed their hope that the group would strictly abide by the Foreign NGO Law as they promoted people-to-people exchanges. The Association’s chief representative expressed thanks for the PSB’s warm service and stated that the group would use its office as a platform to carry on the idea of “two shores, one family,” as well as strengthen communications with its PSU.
The Hubei PSB Foreign NGO Management Office sent a representative to the Wuhan Institute of Dermatosis to give registration and chief representative certificates to the South Korea Suowang Emergency Medical Treatment Aid Organization. The PSB indicated that it would continue to provide convenient, efficient, and superior service as it pushed for Suowang to play an active role in the prevention of, treatment of, and recovery from leprosy. Suowang thanked the PSB for its service with a banner and pledged to abide by the law in carrying out its activities.
The Chongqing PSB Foreign NGO Management Office presented the Sino-American Friendship Association and Bring Me Hope (United States) with registration certificates. The PSB congratulated the two groups for registering according to the law, and expressed its hope that the groups would also carry out their activities in accordance with the law as well as strengthen communications with their Professional Supervisory Units (PSUs). The PSB, for its part, would continue to provide legal guidance and policy support. The two NGOs thanked the PSB for their warm service and averred their intention to obey the law in the course of doing their work.
At the invitation of the State Forestry and Grassland Bureau, the Beijing PSB Foreign NGO Management Office participated in a training class for foreign NGOs about cooperation on forestry-related work. World Wide Fund for Nature (Switzerland), The Nature Conservancy (United States), and Conservation International (United States) were three of the 10 foreign NGOs in attendance, comprising 54 attendees. The PSB representative explained registration, scope of permitted activities, and aspects of management and supervision, as well as answered questions from the NGOs.
The Tianjin PSB Foreign NGO Management Office held a training meeting related to management of social organizations and foreign NGOs. A total of 150 people participated, representing city- and district-level civil affairs personnel as well as social organizations and foundations. At the meeting, a Peking University associate professor lectured on concepts, theories, and historical developments related to foreign NGOs. The PSB discussed the Foreign NGO Law and also explained the temporary activity filing process for domestic social organizations serving as Chinese Partner Units for foreign NGOs, including particular legal issues to which such groups should pay attention.
The Fujian PSB Foreign NGO Management Office convened a management work conference in Xiamen; PSUs and chief representatives of already-registered foreign NGOs attended. Foreign NGOs described their activities since registration and made suggestions about management work. PSUs also made suggestions about how they might better discharge their own duties. The PSB went over relevant articles of the Foreign NGO Law, requiring that foreign NGO representative offices carry out their work according to the law that they turn in annual activity plans and reports on time. The PSB also indicated that public security organs, like PSUs, would offer warm service and management according to the law, promote the public welfare, and push forward foreign NGO management work in Fujian.
Recently, the head of the Yunnan PSB Foreign NGO Management Office led a team to 11 counties and districts in the cities of Lincang, Pu’er, and Yuxi to make inspection and guidance visits. The Yunnan PSB examined the facilities for foreign NGO-related work in the three cities, including local public security organs’ foreign NGO service windows and reception rooms. The Yunnan PSB also met with local police, learning in detail about their facilities, efforts to publicize the Foreign NGO Law, their day-to-day management of services, and programs and activities going on in the area. The Yunnan PSB also noted that local police should strengthen their knowledge and use of the Foreign NGO Law and, through publicity efforts as well as in-person visits, improve communications with foreign NGOs.
The inspection team also visited three foreign NGOs. In Pu’er’s Simao district, they met with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) (United States). IFAW’s chief representative discussed the group’s goals, history, and philosophy, as well as their current work. The inspection team learned about the group’s operations in both Beijing and Yunnan, their organizational structure and composition, funding, annual plans and reports, and cooperation efforts with government agencies.
The team met with Humana People to People China (Switzerland) in Pu’er’s Ximeng county, visiting the group’s preschool classes for children in rural border areas and talking with the project’s managerial staff, accountant, teachers, and parents. The inspection team made clear that local foreign NGO management authorities should strengthen coordination with other government agencies to offer support and convenient services for these kinds of public welfare projects.
The inspection team also talked with the head of Kerry Group Kuok Foundation’s (Hong Kong) “Ink River Project” local operating base. The project head described problems with their current personnel system, funding, budget, and approvals and expressed hope that management authorities could help in resolving them. After learning of these issues, the inspection team requested that local public security authorities look into the situation and, in accordance with laws and regulations, coordinate local government agencies to help resolve the group’s problems.
At every visit to a program doing charitable and public welfare activities, the Yunnan PSB Foreign NGO Management Office inspection team expressed its praise and deep thanks. The team also requested that registration and management authorities at every level increase the vigor of their drop-in services and coordination guidance, better understand the needs and opinions of foreign NGOs, ensure that management measures keep pace with such needs, assist NGOs in resolving difficulties, and give full play to authorities’ role in foreign NGO service and guidance.
Recently, personnel from the Tianjin PSB Foreign NGO Management Office visited the Tianjin Federation of Social Organizations, a domestic NGO, where it held an information session on the Foreign NGO Law. Attended by representatives from more than 120 organizations, the session covered the key contents of the law, the responsibilities entailed in serving as a Chinese Partner Unit for a foreign NGO and some particular issues to pay attention to when doing so, the temporary activity filing process, and other topics. After discussing local groups’ recent projects with foreign NGOs, a representative from the Federation said that local NGOs would strengthen communications with registration and management authorities, improve their assistance and coordination, and regulate and guide foreign NGOs’ legal activities.