The Chinese government will increase financial support for the fledging nonprofit sector and crack down on misconduct through tightened supervision.

The central government plans to spend a total of 200 million yuan ($31.43 million) to promote the development of nongovernmental organizations this year, said Jia Xiaojiu, deputy head of the management of the nongovernmental organizations bureau under the Ministry of Civil Affairs, at a meeting held in Shenzhen earlier this month.

If the program is a success, it is expected to be included in the central government's annual budget, Jia was quoted saying by local media.

Also on Aug 13 the ministry released regulations outlining procedures to be taken by NGO regulation authorities when investigating possible misconduct by NGOs. The regulations also outline the appropriate punishments.

The regulations, which will take effect on Oct 1, specify steps including in what situations the registration departments should intervene and rules for them to follow in investigations and evidence collecting.

Song Zonghe, head of the information office of the China Charity and Donation Information Center, a Beijing-based nonprofit organization, urged the government to set up a coordinating mechanism among different governmental departments to manage NGOs given the complex background of different NGOs and their diverse fields.

(China Daily 08/21/2012 page1)