2016年CRI Scholars Discuss Social Institutions' Development under the Coming Charity Law

The seminar was organized by the Institute for Philanthropy at Tsinghua University, which is behind the drafting of China's first Charity Law.

Professor Deng Guosheng says public institutions, social organizations, and enterprises will be key players in the charity sector 1 in the future.

"Though it seems there's no connection among the public institutions, social organizations, and enterprise, they have a common character: providing charity services for public benefit. The Charity Law is aiming to carry forward the charity culture and protect the interests of concerned groups through a healthy development of the charity organizations, to satisfy the diversified 2 demand in society."

Wang Ming is a member of the National Committee of the top advisory 3 body, and also deputy director of the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University.

He says the law will mark a new beginning for the charity sector.

"The Charity Law signals a new era. I have proposed 17 suggestions in this session of CPPCC, 10 of which are related with the law. Most of them are about possible problems once the law gets passed in the top legislature. However, for all kinds of charity organizations, how to reform and innovate 4 on the new platform established by the law, is a very important topic."

For some social organizations, registering as charity organizations has been a problem of great concern. Jin Jinping is an associate professor at Peking University Law School:

"I agree with the immediate 5 registration 6 system. For the great deal of existing organizations, there needs to be a certification process. For the new ones, there should be a process of registration and certification."

Experts also suggest that since there are social organizations with profits and without profits, there's no need for all of them to turn into charity organizations. Space should be set aside for innovation and development.

Professor Yang Hongshan is from School of Public Administration and Policy at Renmin University.

"The development of public service partly depends on the increase of charity organizations, and these new organizations should serve as the driving force of innovation to the charity sector. However, for the existing public institutions with both functions of social service and public service, we should not force all of them turning into charity organizations."

Wang Ming from the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua has this to say.

"There will be a one-year prime time for reaching the consensus 7 on the institutional reform. Since the Charity Law forms a new regulation platform, there will be a good chance to promote reforms."

Experts call on the government to make a good use of the chance of promoting charity and public services in the post charity law era, setting up supporting measures including tax preference.