Today, the Ministry of Public Security WeChat Account posted information and graphics about the number of representative offices registered and the number of temporary activities filed between January 2017 and the end of September 2018. A partial English translation of this post is available from China Development Brief. The China NGO Project’s own representation of this information, updated monthly, is available here.
Recently, the Tianjin Public Security Bureau (PSB) Foreign NGO Management Office, in collaboration with the municipal Education Commission, held a training for local universities and colleges related to foreign NGO work. 31 different schools were represented at the training, which also featured a lecture on the nature and evolution of foreign NGOs in China from a Tsinghua University School of Public Policy and Management expert. To open the training, the PSB pumped up attendees by reinforcing how important schools’ foreign NGO management work is and recounting the achievements of the last two years of the PSB’s own management work. The PSB also explained the legal responsibilities of universities and colleges serving as Chinese Partner Units for foreign NGOs. Attendees relayed the related difficulties they have encountered in their day-to-day work, seeking guidance from the speakers and offering suggestions to other attendees.
The Shanghai Commerce Commission, which has long served as a key point of contact for foreign NGOs in China and which is currently sponsoring 78 foreign NGO representative offices under the Foreign NGO Law, is Shanghai’s government body for managing domestic and international trade, international economic cooperation, and circulation of consumer goods. As such, the Commission has been promoting the upcoming China International Import Expo (CIIE) in meetings with foreign NGOs and encouraging their participation in the event.
The Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shanghai has also made efforts to encourage foreign NGO participation: it made visits abroad to persuade local enterprises and NGOs to attend; it organized Shanghai-registered foreign NGOs from Japan, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, and Canada to conduct activities to promote the Expo; and it has held a number of meetings to attract interest in the Expo among foreign NGOs.
Ever since the CIIE’s launch, every trade-related foreign NGO registered in Shanghai has expressed a high level of interest and excitement, working in tandem with Chinese government entities in their home countries to publicize and encourage investment in it. U.S.-China Business Council, Korea International Trade Association, China-Britain Business Council, Canada China Business Council, Croatian Chamber of Economy, and Delegations of German Industry & Commerce have all helped to implement comprehensive publicity plans in their home countries and to attract as many as several hundred industry participants. A number of groups, including U.S.-China Business Council, Global Alliance of SMEs (United States), Croatian Chamber of Economy, and Danish Export Association, organized or helped organize activities to complement the CIIE, such as the “Forum on Chinese Foodstuff Consumption Trends and Standards” and the “Healthy Leadership Summit.” Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce (Hong Kong) has set up a real-life platform in the Hongqiao Central Business District to offer support services to enterprises in countries along the Belt and Road, in line with CIIE’s “6+365” One-Stop Trading Services Platform. Groups such as Dubai Chamber are directly participating in the CIIE, promoting their local business and investment environment.
Further, all types of Shanghai-registered foreign NGOs are serving as bridges and links, assisting visiting groups from their home countries and encouraging conversation about trade between domestic and international organizations. According to incomplete statistics, Shanghai-registered foreign NGOs have interacted with more than 100 Fortune 500 companies with regard to the CIIE, and with more than 1,000 domestic and international enterprises, chambers of commerce, and foundations. During this period, these foreign NGOs have facilitated more than 100 million Renminbi worth of direct multilateral trade.