Charity concerns everyone in society. Though sadly, in recent years, malpractice in the sector has been prevalent, and has sparked questions about the lack of oversight of charities.

For instance, Guo Meimei, who claimed to have connections with the Red Cross Society of China and showed off her extravagant lifestyle online in 2011, greatly tarnished the reputation of the organization, despite the fact that her allegations proved to be totally false. Still, to a large extent, charity scandals in China have stemmed from the lack of laws governing the sector.

That is why the draft of China's first Charity Law is expected to be reviewed and passed at the ongoing full session of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature.

Already the charity legislation has undergone a lot of twists and turns. In 2005, the Ministry of Civil Affairs put forward the proposals of drafting a charity promotion law to the NPC Standing Committee and the State Council. Four years later, the ministry submitted the draft law to the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council, marking the beginning of the legislative process. However, in the years that followed, disagreement and controversy surrounding the draft law stalled its momentum.

The legislative process resumed in 2013, when the oversight of the charity sector was listed as one of the top priorities of the 12th NPC Standing Committee and the NPC Internal and Judicial Affairs Committee was charged with playing a leading role in the drafting of the Charity Law. The draft law was deliberated by the NPC Standing Committee on October 30, 2014 and published on the official website of the NPC to solicit public opinion from October 31 to November 30 that year. Members of the NPC Standing Committee then reviewed and discussed the draft for the second time at their 18th plenary session at the end of last year.

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