Chinese Government Increases Scrutiny of Environmental Civil Society Organizations

September 1, 2005

Chinese officials are conducting a large-scale survey of environmental civil society organizations in China, according to an August 18 South China Morning Post (SCMP) article (subscription required). According to unnamed government sources quoted in the article, the survey seeks to determine the extent of these organizations' operations, and uncovered unregistered organizations. This move strengthens the view of some analysts that the Chinese government is attempting to limit the independence of civil society organizations, particularly environmental groups.

Chinese officials are conducting a large-scale survey of environmental civil society organizations in China, according to an August 18 South China Morning Post (SCMP) article (subscription required). According to unnamed government sources quoted in the article, the survey seeks to determine the extent of these organizations' operations, and uncovered unregistered organizations. This move strengthens the view of some analysts that the Chinese government is attempting to limit the independence of civil society organizations, particularly environmental groups.

The All-China Environmental Federation (ACEF), a state-run organization established earlier in 2005, is conducting the survey. Although ostensibly independent, the ACEF resembles other "mass organizations" that Communist authorities have long used to co-opt or control social groups. Environmental organizations have faced increasing official pressure on their activities and overseas funding, according to the SCMP article.

The belief of Chinese officials that Western-backed environmental organizations played a role in recent social uprisings against authoritarian rule in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan, appear to have motivated the government to commission the ACEF survey, according to the article. In May, the Economic Times, a publication of the Development Research Center of the State Council, said, "It is necessary to learn from the lessons of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and prevent Western countries from carrying out infiltration and sabotage of China through political NGOs."