News

African officials learn about Chinese civil society in Fuzhou

On May 14, more than 30 government officials from 11 francophone African countries convened at a charity forum in Fuzhou to discuss public welfare experiences and techniques. The forum was held by a Fujian student aid charity association (福建省简单助学公益协会), a…

Four provinces issue registration credentials to overseas NGOs

Registration credentials being conferred to a foreign NGO in Jiangxi Province.  In the past two weeks, Hubei, Jiangxi and Gansu provinces and the city of Tianjin have issued their first batches of registration credentials to overseas NGOs. These regions join…

Greenpeace report reveals 60% of Chinese shoppers spend excessively

This week Greenpeace released a report on international shopping habits, compiling surveys from Mainland China, Taiwan, Italy, Hong Kong and Germany, highlighting an increasing trend to overspend on fashion due to pressure from social media and the ease of online…

Overseas NGOs attend “One Belt and One Road” forum

On May 10, representatives from 11 overseas NGOs were invited by the Public Security Bureau to attend a forum in Beijing on the “One Belt and One Road”, the international development framework proposed by the Chinese government that includes the…

Former party secretary shifts career to public interest

After leaving his job as party secretary in Hubei province’s Batong County, Chen Xingjia reappeared in the limelight this week. Well-known for his unorthodox publicity stunts that brought him internet fame, the outspoken figure announced over the weekend that he…

Chinese government issues new policy on think tanks

A new policy that bears on the future of Chinese think tanks, the “ Opinions on Promoting Healthy Development of Social Thinks Tanks”, was released this week by nine governmental departments, including the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Central Propaganda…

Chen Tianqiao responds to criticism for his donation to Caltech

The founder of Shanda Group, Chen Tianqiao, made a $115 million donation last year to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for neuroscience research, which was met with widespread criticism in China. The millionaire recently responded to criticisms of his…

China’s first equity charitable trust established

In the last few days, the trustee of SDIC Taikang Trust Company finished filing with Beijing’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, marking the establishment of China’s first equity charitable trust. The trust was set up principally by one individual, whose contribution…

Home improvement TV show gives daughter bed in the kitchen

The parents of quadruplet sons and a daughter found themselves mired in controversy this week after prioritizing their sons on a home improvement show, giving their daughter only a makeshift bedroom hidden in the kitchen. On an episode of “A…

Shared refrigerators emerging in China to cut down on food waste

Following in the footsteps of the concept of “public refrigerators” that originated in Germany, the One Foundation along with Tencent Video launched China’s first “shared refrigerator” at a storefront in Shunyi District, Beijing. The refrigerator, which looks more like an…

Philanthropy report ranks China’s biggest donors

Ma Huateng and Ma Yun, the top two largest donors in China over the past six years. This week the “China billion yuan donors and strategic philanthropy development report” was released, which praises the 123 Chinese philanthropists who donated more…

China to host Asia’s largest social work conference

On April 20, the “The Preparation Meeting for the 24th Asia-Pacific Joint Regional Social Work Conference ” was convened in Shenzhen. The Conference is to be held on September 26-29, 2017 which will mark the first time that the International…

Chinese charities exploding in growth, but lacking transparency

Statistics on charitable foundations in China were announced recently at a public funds forum jointly held by Tsinghua University’s Anti-Corruption and Governance Research Center and the China Foundation Center. Among statistics announced at the meeting, some of the more eyebrow-raising…