New disclosure rules will seal loopholes in the Charity Law

THE MINISTRY OF CIVIL AFFAIRS published draft provisions regarding the information disclosure of charity organizations for opinions on Friday. Beijing News commented on Sunday:

When it comes to transparency, charity organizations are no different from other public organizations. But that was not the case in China until March last year when the Charity Law was passed, making it a legal obligation for charity organizations to make their operations public.

Even now though, some people still believe that charities are not obliged to keep the public informed of their financial affairs, on the grounds that doing so increases a charity's operating costs, which is not why people donate money, and the compulsory annual audit is already a guarantee of financial integrity.