Established in June 1989, the Western Returned Scholars Association (WRSA) has been imposed the administrative penalty of having its activities suspended for three months by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. WRSA was founded by Wu Xiuquan, of the Central Advisory Commission of the Communist Party of China, in 1989. It is a civil foundation comprising overseas Chinese scholars and experts who have returned from studying in western countries, targeted at developing and promoting scientific education and cultural communication in China.
Before receiving this administrative penalty, the foundation had already been found to be unqualified during its annual inspection for three consecutive years. In the investigation by the Ministry of Civil Affairs in 2018, it was found to exhibit behaviours that violate the relevant regulations and are beyond its official scope of work, which is charitable activities, in the aspects of conducting fundraising, accepting donations and using property. In consequence, besides the administrative sanction, it has also been included in the list of social organizations which have committed serious violations.
