Heart of Gold: Chinese NGOs - What's in a Name?

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 GUANGZHOU 015376 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EB, DRL, R, E, EAP/CM, EAP/PD, ECA STATE PASS USTR FOR STRATFORD, CELICO USDOC FOR 4420/ITA/MAC/MCQUEEN, DAS LEVINE USPACOM FOR FPA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM ECON SOCI CH SUBJECT: Heart of Gold: Chinese NGOs - What's in a Name? THIS DOCUMENT IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. NOT FOR RELEASE OUTSIDE U.S.GOVERNMENT CHANNELS. NOT FOR INTERNET PUBLICATION. Ref: A) GUANGZHOU 11657 and 7743, 12155, 13381 (notal) B) GUANGZHOU 14712 C) BEIJING 00565 (notal),D) GUANGZHOU 13381 (notal) ¶1. (SBU) Summary: What do the Guangdong Petroleum Society, the Communist Youth League Volunteers, the Guangdong Tobacco Society, and World Vision (a Christian charity group) have in common? According to the Chinese government, they are all NGOs. By broadening the definition of NGO beyond the traditional western definition, the Chinese government and state-controlled media have been able to trumpet the growth of `civil society' and `the third sector,' while the majority of western and domestic NGOs are forced to operate on the fringes of legality. End Summary. What's in a Name? -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) is the only fully legal registration organ for NGOs in China, but NGOs can include many organizations that do not meet the traditional western definition of an NGO. There are three major types of legal NGOs in China (ref A). "Social organizations" are formed when a group of Chinese citizens come together for a defined activity (foreign social organizations are not allowed (Ref B)) and closely align with the traditional definition of NGO. "Non-professional institutions" are private schools, research institutes, social science organizations (foreign social organizations are not allowed). "Foundations" are organizations that disburse funds for social projects (foreign foundations are legal). All three types require a government department or mass organization to serve as a sponsor and monitor and are required to register with the Ministry of Civil Affairs. ¶3. (SBU) According to the Guangdong Province Department of Civil Affairs there are 19,771 registered NGOs (includes all sub-registrations at the municipality level). Of these, 9,300 are social organizations, 10,300 are non-professional institutions, and 132 are foundations. However, it is important to note how broad the definition of NGO is in this context. `NGOs' in this context include sports associations, commercial federations, industrial associations, and academic associations. In this vernacular, the Guangdong Tobacco Society is counted in the same way as a charity program for disabled people. A large number of these organizations appear to be government- organized NGOs (GONGOs). It is hard to have an accurate estimate of how many of each type of NGO there are because the municipal and provincial Civil Affairs authorities all stated that they do not have that kind of information available. Anecdotally, the number of GONGOs and commercial/industrial federations seems to be quite large. GONGOs? Neither Government nor `Real NGOs' nor Any Other Part Belonging to Civil Society -------------- -------------- - ¶4. (SBU) The decision by the central government in to outsource some of its poverty alleviation programs to NGOs has been widely reported (Ref C) but does not indicate an upcoming liberalization for NGOs. In coordination with the Asia Development Bank, the central government held a competition for NGOs to compete for funding to implement poverty relief projects and results were announced early in ¶2006. While the World Bank had held similar events in the past, this was the first one sponsored by the central government. Local papers trumpeted that this represented government recognition of NGO's function in society and that it was probable that the program would soon be expanded. While this represented a breakthrough in the government's willingness to fund other organizations, the details of the program show this was more of a modest step than a great leap forward. GUANGZHOU 00015376 002 OF 003 ¶5. (SBU) Only fully-registered NGOs were allowed to apply and foreign NGOs had to have a domestic partner in order to apply. Currently, all NGOs are required to register with a sponsoring government department and the Ministry of Civil Affairs in ordered to be fully-registered. Registration procedures are so strict that only the most well-connected or government-based NGOs (GONGOs) are able to register; in fact, one researcher in South China estimates only 10% of NGOs are legally registered, severely reducing the number of those potentially eligible to apply. ¶6. (SBU) With one exception, all the recipients of central government funds appear to be GONGOs. GONGOs are legally registered, government-based NGOs that have sprung from a government department or a mass organization. Mass organizations are organizations such as the Women's Federation, the Communist Youth League and the All-China Trade Union. Their goals are to advance their target group's interests and support Communist ideology. One recipient, the Jiangxi Youth Development Foundation, was founded by the Communist Youth League. Another, the Shaanxi Research Association for Women and Family, appears to be an offshoot of the Shaanxi Women's Federation. GONGOS are frequently staffed by current or former members of the government or Party and often receive material assistance from their parent organization (Ref D). While many GONGOs are capable of providing government-style services (educating teachers, building schools, distributing health information to target populations) they, in general, do not have general public education programs, organize volunteers, or do other activities that help to build a civilian base, or what one would argue is `civil society.' Commercial Federations by Any Other Name Would Not Smell as Sweet -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶7. (SBU) In the fall of 2005, with the backing of the Guangdong Civil Affairs Bureau, the Association for the Promotion of NGO Development was founded. The Association's Secretary stated to the local press that the Association's SIPDIS aim was to defend the rights of NGOs and improve links with the government. This is a noble goal, as so many NGOs are unable to register due to the onerous regulations. However, in reality this is an organization started by commercial federations (who are officially counted as NGOs) to create an acceptable alternate organization for the benefit of commercial federations, so that they alone are not required to have a government sponsor in order to register. Under current law, commercial federations have to go through the full registration process as a social organization and are trying to develop a backdoor that will only be applicable to them. ¶8. (SBU) According to one provincial MCA official, commercial and industrial federations are the fastest growing sectors of the `NGO community.' In meetings with municipal and provincial MCA authorities, officials eagerly cited examples of commercial federations' activities, but drew a blank when they were asked about what kind of work social-service NGOs did. While more liberal NGO legislation has been promised for many years, one MCA official opined that the most likely change would be for business social organizations, such as the American Chamber of Commerce- South China, to be able to register. Comment: By a Name I Know Not How to Tell Thee Who I Am -------------- -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Comment: These three examples briefly show the pitfalls in trying to reconcile Western definitions with Chinese usage. The question of what is a NGO is a lively topic in academic circles; one researcher stated that if an independent, grassroots NGO does manage to get official registration it is no longer is a `real NGO' because of the perceived level of state control. Donors bemoan that unregistered NGOs do not look attractive because they can not have legal status or official bank accounts. Others argue over whether it is more important to perform a GUANGZHOU 00015376 003 OF 003 charitable service (i.e. build a school),which a GONGO can do, or to build a civilian base of volunteers and a `civic consciousness'. Chinese regulations have created a structure in where the vast majority of registered `NGOs' appear to be GONGOs or commercial, industrial or science associations. What westerners would consider traditional NGOs are mainly pushed to the side and forced to operate on the margins while GONGOs grab the spotlight. The reality here is that the Chinese media and official figures only paint a distorted view of what is happening in the NGO community here in South China - no matter how you define a NGO. End Comment. DONG