Non-Governmental Organisations and Government in China: Enemies or Allies?

The Chinese government badly needs the public services provided by nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) but is also wary of NGOs becoming a rival political power that may eventually undermine its political rule. To utilise and control the NGO sector, a local government unit/official is required as sponsors of their registration. It has also imposed restrictive measures on NGO activities, entry and access to resources. These measures allow the government to achieve the twin objectives of utilising and controlling the NGO sector at the same time. Such a control system, however, has also created serious organisational and governance problems for the NGOs.