Civil Society

Former Xinhua journalist Gao Qinrong was released from a prison in Shanxi province on December 7 after serving 8 years of a 12-year sentence, according to a December 11 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) report. According to a December 14 Southern Weekend (SW) report (in Chinese), Gao was released from the Jinzhong Prison in Shanxi province. In August 1999, the intermediate people's court in Yuncheng District, Shanxi, handed down a combined 13-year sentence in Gao's case, including 5 years for accepting bribes, 3 years for fraud, and 5 years for soliciting prostitutes, but ruled that Gao should actually serve 12 years, according to a January 11, 2001, SW report (in Chinese, via People's Daily).

Beijing authorities released Wan Yanhai, founder of the HIV/AIDS advocacy group the Beijing Zhiaixing Information and Counseling Center (Zhiaixing), formerly called the Aizhixing Institute of Health Education, on the morning of November 27 after having held him for three nights without charge, according to a November 27 Associated Press article (via the International Herald Tribune) and a December 1 Amnesty International public statement.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress enacted a new Anti-Money Laundering Law (Law) on October 31, according to a report (in Chinese) on the People's Daily Web site dated the same day. The following day, Xinhua reported (via the People's Daily) that the People's Bank of China (PBOC) would issue regulations "as soon as possible" to enforce the Law, which will become effective on January 1, 2007.

Ministry of Civil Affairs (MOCA) officials have announced plans to "rate" China's 289,000 NGOs, according to an August 31 Beijing News article. MOCA convened a conference of experts on August 30 to discuss the establishment of an "assessment system" for NGOs.

Experts called for increased supervision of NGOs and the elimination of those that are illegally established, according to an announcement posted on the MOCA Web site. MOCA officials noted that many NGOs are inefficient and non-transparent, and said that the new "assessment system" is aimed at ensuring their healthy development.

Farmers cooperatives' lack of legal status limits Chinese farmers' ability to use them to protect their rights and advance their economic interests, according to a March 8 Beijing News article. National authorities currently are considering legislative proposals that would grant legal status to such cooperatives. Official restrictions on the establishment of citizen organizations limit the development of an independent Chinese civil society. For more information, see section V(a) of the Commission's 2005 Annual Report, on The Development of Civil Society.

Ministry of Civil Affairs (MOCA) officials have completed drafting revised national regulations on social organizations, and are negotiating about issuing the regulations with the legal affairs office of the State Council, according to a May 19 Southern Weekend report. The revised regulations would treat Chinese NGOs slightly more liberally in the registration process, but would not alter core elements of government control.