SERVICE PROVIDER OR A SUPPLEMENT TO GOVERNMENT: A

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SHANGHAI 000491 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/CM, DRL NSC FOR LOI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI CH SUBJECT: SERVICE PROVIDER OR A SUPPLEMENT TO GOVERNMENT: A CONFERENCE ON NGO DEVELOPMENT IN NANJING REF: A. (A) SHANGHAI 461 ¶B. (B) SHANGHAI 374 (U) This cable is sensitive but unclassified and for official use only. Not for distribution outside of USG channels or via the internet. Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Scholars at an international conference on social welfare in Nanjing said strengthening service-oriented non-government organizations (NGOs) would be a stable and secure strategy for NGO development in the future but would have limited influence in China's political system and promotion of democracy. A former official in the Nanjing-based Amity Foundation said government officials remain wary of NGOs and therefore remain closely involved in NGO functions. The lack of clear development policies and inadequate financial resources are the major factors preventing NGOs from progressing, according to one scholar. NGO representatives attending the conference called for the Chinese Government to craft a sustainable policy that treats NGOs as fully vested service providers rather than merely as supplements to government work. End Summary. Nanjing University Hosts 3rd Social Welfare Conference -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) ConGen Shanghai LES Political Assistant attended the International Nanjing Conference on Social Quality and Social Welfare at Nanjing University October 24-26. (See Ref A for a report on other meetings in Nanjing.) The conference was the third in a series of social welfare conferences held in Asia -- Chiba University in Tokyo (March 2006) and the National Taiwan University (March 2007) were the previous hosts. The focus of the Nanjing Conference was to extend theoretical discussions on comparative studies of social welfare between European and Asian societies to discussions on NGOs and their role in China. Many speakers used the Sichuan earthquake as an example testifying to the positive role of NGOs in China particularly with regard to the government's role in social welfare, the features of charitable efforts and volunteer activities, and the environment for NGO development in China. Service NGOs: Stable, Secure... and Suspicious -------------- -- ¶3. (SBU) Several conference participants highlighted the importance of service-oriented NGOs for the future stable and secure development of China's NGO sector. Lin Ka from Nanjing Univerity's Department of Sociology, one of the conference chairs, presented his research paper on "The Power of NGOs in an Authoritarian Regime: A Study of the Types and Functions of NGOs in Contemporary China," emphasizing that NGOs are a relatively new phenomenon in China with fewer than 100 registered NGOs nationwide until the economic opening of the 1980s contributed to NGO growth. By 2007, according to a Ministry of Civil Affairs report, there were 1758 registered NGOs at the national level, Lin said. If unregistered and grass-roots NGOs are taken into account, however, the number of Chinese NGOs could reach 2.5 - 3 million organizations, Lin stated. ¶4. (SBU) Lin identified five types of Chinese NGOs, namely policy-oriented NGOs, industry associations, charitable organizations, tenant associations, and service-oriented NGOs. Of the five types, Lin said service-oriented NGOs are the most strongly supported by government officials and welcomed by the public because they help local authorities address social welfare problems. ¶5. (SBU) On the other hand, Lin said, human rights and democracy NGOs continue to be targets of suspicion. Lin therefore asserted that developing service-oriented NGOs is a stable and secure strategy to expand the scale and influence of NGOs in China. He admitted, however, that service-oriented NGOs have less influence in the Chinese political system and a limited role in promoting democracy. Developing Civil Society in China -------------- ¶6. (SBU) In one session, conference participants outlined some SHANGHAI 00000491 002 OF 002 of the key milestones in China's development of civil society. Zhang Liwei, Deputy Director of Nanjing University's Office of International Cooperation, openly discussed NGO development since the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations at Tiananmen Square. According to Zhang, NGOs developed rapidly during the 1980s but were much more low-key after Tiananmen, and they changed their focus to alleviating poverty and addressing basic needs. The 1995 UN Conference on Women was a perfect example of this changing focus, he said, as organizations involved in providing services in education, HIV/AIDS, rural development, and environmental protection met together in Beijing. The Chinese Government remains ambivalent towards NGOs, however, Zhang said, as evidenced by the dual management policy announced in 2004 that required NGOs to secure support both from the registration office and the government department related to the NGOs activities. There therefore remains strong government involvement in most Chinese NGOs, Zhang said. ¶7. (SBU) Formerly an official at the faith-based Amity Foundation in Nanjing, Zhang added that Amity's volunteers worked closely with officials of local government departments and other organizations from the provincial level to the grass-roots level in order to provide assistance after the Sichuan earthquake (see Ref B for reporting on the Amity Foundation). Zhang said cooperation in earthquake relief somewhat blurred the lines between government departments and NGOs, and some local government officials were deeply influenced by NGOs. For the most part, however, NGOs have been confined by the government to a "supplementary" role, and NGOs are struggling with a lack of a coherent development policy and inadequate financial support, Zhang lamented. The future development of civil society in China will depend on how the Central Government arranges the dynamics between the government, private sector, and civil society, he said. NGO Representatives: We Need a Sustainable Policy -------------- -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Several NGO representatives echoed Zhang's concerns about the future development of civil society. A young Amity volunteer in her late 20s said NGOs should be regarded as a "self-sufficient service provider" rather than merely a supplement to government work. During her stay in Sichuan conducting earthquake relief work, she found communication between different NGOs was insufficient and cooperation between organizations was weak. Shen Limin, Secretary General of the Shanghai YWCA, called for the government to provide NGOs with a sustainable policy for development. Wu Jianrong, Secretary General of the Shanghai YMCA, asserted that the government should support NGOs as independent entities, but at the same time, NGOs should establish good relations with the government and take advantage of government resources. Zhu Li from Nanjing University's Sociology Department told Political Assistant that any new NGO policy should lower the entry requirements for NGOS, allowing them to be established so long as they abide by Chinese law and are willing to register with relevant government offices. Comment: Open Discussion on NGOs -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Scholars and NGO representatives attending the Nanjing Conference spoke quite openly in public about NGO development -- an infrequent occurrence in China where NGO representatives are cautious about upsetting government officials. Such discussions are especially rare in East China where many people pay more attention to business and economic growth than to the development of civil society. NGO representatives who attended the Nanjing Conference said they would like to enjoy greater operational independence, but they also realize it will be a while before the Chinese Government grants NGOs more autonomy. CAMP