Suspicious NGOs listed, face new scrutiny
The Ministry of Civil Affairs is reassuring the public that it is determined to fight fraudulent and unregistered nongovernmental organizations as it published the names of some 250 suspicious entities identified since the beginning of the year.
The list was released in three batches.
An Ning, deputy director of the ministry’s social organization management bureau, said the list of names was released to alert the public about potential fraud. The ministry also banned entities for which there is adequate evidence of unlawful activity.
“More than 300 fake and illegal organizations have been banned in the last three months nationwide,” An said.
Such organizations usually claim to serve national strategies, such as the Belt and Road Initiative, or to promote poverty alleviation.
They often charge fees for granting certificates saying that a client is involved in a certain field — the environment, for example — or in exchange for a promise that the NGO will secure project funds, which may never materialize, according to the ministry.
“That has caused much financial loss for governments and institutes at the grassroots level,” An said in an earlier interview.
Such organizations are deceitful because their names usually contain “China”, “national”, “global” or “UN”, all of which suggest government endorsement and support, he said.
In February, the Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau banned four associations that were posing as NGOs. Investigations had found that they had failed to register with civil affairs authorities, violating regulations concerning domestic NGO administration. One of them was found to have organized activities under the name of national institutes in order to accumulate wealth.
An said the ministry will cooperate with public security organs and other departments to carry out a national campaign against organizations amassing money while posing as legitimate NGOs.
The public can verify NGO credentials and report suspicious activities at chinanpo.gov.cn, via e-mail to jbshzz@vip.163.com or by fax to 010-5812-4144.