China Signals Greater Role for Private Nonprofits

China said Wednesday that it will allow charities, business associations, and some other nonstate groups to take a stronger hand in tackling environmental problems and social ills, a partial reversal for a government that has traditionally treated independent nonprofit entities with suspicion, the Associated Press writes.

Li Liguo, China’s minister for civil affairs, said many nonprofit groups will no longer be required to find a government sponsor to apply for the official registration necessary to operate legally, raise money in the country, and get tax breaks. “From now on, the role that our country’s social organizations will play in economic and social development will be expanded and strengthened,” he told a Beijing news conference.

China’s leaders have only recently opened up to accepting outside help in addressing health and social problems. Independent groups have been viewed by the authoritarian government as potentially political threats and were often the targets of tax and criminal inquiries, according to AP.