Editor’s Note
This report originally appeared on ChinaFile. Please find the original here.
Today, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau (PSB) Foreign NGO Management Office, together with the Shanghai Law Society, held a first round of Foreign NGO Law training for lawyers at the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics. A total of 34 lawyers from 20 well-established law firms in Shanghai participated and received a certificate of completion from the Shanghai Law Society. The training included classroom learning, on-site teaching, case studies, and exchanges. During the training, participants addressed questions related to legal issues surrounding the work of foreign NGOs in China and to the role of law firms in this process. They also provided suggestions for the overall promotion and effective implementation of the foreign NGO law.
At the end of the training, Mr Lin Guoping, Executive Vice President of the Shanghai Law Society, reaffirmed the accomplishments of the participants and expressed hope that they would continue striving for excellence and firmly adhere to the law.
Today, the Sichuan PSB Foreign NGO Management Office, Sichuan Local Taxation Bureau, and Sichuan Provincial Tax Service convened an informational session about taxation requirements for foreign NGOs. Attended by more than 50 people from various government agencies as well as from 16 foreign NGOs that have already established representative offices in Sichuan, the forum primarily addressed NGOs’ tax-related concerns.
During the forum, a representative from the Sichuan PSB Foreign NGO Management Office gave an overview of the basic terms of the foreign NGO law, highlighted the relevant paperwork that had to be done after registration and expressed hope that activities carried out by foreign NGOs would be in accordance with the law. Meanwhile, key personnel from both taxations bureaus delivered a thorough presentation of taxation requirements of the law; this included addressing policy details pertaining to tax registration and reporting and other relevant procedures for foreign NGOs.
In May, the new chief representative of the Wuhan representative office of the Netherlands Trade Promotion Council sent a thank-you letter to the Hubei PSB Foreign NGO Management Office and Wuhan PSB Office. This was in regards to the support and assistance that the PSB offices had provided when the Council made changes to their initial representative office application.
Recently, the director of the Hunan PSB Foreign NGO Management Office visited the Changsha High Tech Zone International Science and Technology Business Platform to conduct research and speak at a forum about the management of foreign NGOs in Hunan. Since March 2015, the international platform has sought to attract non-governmental and non-profit organisations through provision of venues, lower taxes and other incentives.
At the forum, the PSB Office gave a detailed presentation on the Foreign NGO Law and learned about foreign NGOs’ experiences working at at the International Platform, as well as provided on-site legal consultation about conducting activities. Key representatives from the Changsha High Tech Zone also highlighted their management model and the operational status of foreign NGOs in the international platform. At the time of the meeting, the International Platform had seen five foreign NGOs successfully register representative offices and two carry out temporary activities; others were actively preparing to register.
