At a news conference, the Minister of Civil Affairs, Li Liguo explained that the recent media stories and public criticism over various scandals and problems in the charitable sector have prompted authorities to take faster action in prompting openness and transparency in the sector.
He explained that because of the length of time it takes to revise laws and regulations (likely referring to the delays in the revision of the Registration and Management Regulations), the Ministry of Civil Affairs is adding some supplemental regulations to the existing framework to standardize and strengthen management of public interest activities. As examples, he noted (1) “Some Regulations Concerning the Standardization of Foundation Behavior (Trial Implementation)” which was issued recently for public comment; (2) information disclosure guidelines issued by the Ministry in December 2011; (3) further implementing the 2006 Measures for the Information Disclosure of Foundations; and (4) emphasizing norms of openness and transparency in the annual inspections of, and charity awards given to, social organizations.
