China's Ministry of Civil Affairs has disclosed a list of 203 unlicensed social organizations attempting to collect wealth with titles resembling officially registered ones.
The ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the names of these organizations, most of which are founded overseas by residents on the Chinese mainland, usually include words including "China", "Chinese", and "national".
Some of the organizations even bear the same name as those legally registered, according to the statement.
Collecting membership fees by expanding the number of members and setting up chapters was a way to make money for these organizations, in addition to organizing training programs and offering awards, the statement said.
Some copycat organizations also attempted to extort and blackmail enterprises, according to the statement.
The list was the initial results of an online platform established by the ministry to expose copycat social organizations.
Meanwhile, legislative efforts are also under way to handle such organizations.
A draft law on overseas non-governmental organizations (NGOs) was discussed at the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the top legislature, for its second reading in April last year.
The bill aims to regulate overseas NGOs' activities in China, protect their rights and interests, and promote exchanges and cooperation.
