On the 16th of March, the Charity Law of the People’s Republic of China was passed by the fourth meeting of the 12th National People’s Congress with 2636 pros, 131 cons, and 83 abstentions. The Law will come into force in September. It had been eagerly (and anxiously) awaited by the whole of China’s philanthropic sector. As the first law of its kind, it will clarify the definition of charitable activities and regulate the establishment and operation of charity organizations and the sources and use of charitable property and services.
The process of creating the Charity Law has been long and drawn out, lasting a total of eleven years. Two drafts were released for public consultation at the end of last year. There were heated debates during the National People’s Congress over various aspects of the law, including the limit to set on management fees as a percentage of annual expenditure for charitable foundations. CDB has produced an English translation of the Charity Law before the official translations are available. You can download it as a PDF and find our translations of the previous two drafts here. You might also wish to read here for more information about how the law was passed.
