China recently released a draft ‘Foreign NGO Management Law’ for public comment, which ended on 4 June 2015. ‘Foreign NGOs’ are defined as ‘not-for-profit, non-governmental social organizations formed outside mainland China’, suggesting that if the law is passed in its current state it may have implications for UK education institutions operating in China or intending to establish operations in China.
Through the EU, the UK has already fed into the consultation process and raised specific concerns about the potential impact on education institutions. Furthermore, the British Council in China has raised its concerns with the Ministry of Education’s Vice Minister Hao Ping, who has provided verbal reassurance that the draft law is not intended to impact on the education sector.
We will provide updates on further developments when available.
An English language version of the draft law is available here, as translated by a third party organisation.