Jessica Batke: Small NGOs Particularly Vulnerable under New NGO Law

The audio for this podcast interview can be found on the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) website.

When China’s law on non-governmental organizations went into effect in early 2017, observers worried that many international NGOs would pull out as a result. Almost 18 months on, the picture is mixed as Jessica Batke of ChinaFile has found out. As part of ChinaFile’s NGO Project, she tracks the experiences with the new law and says some 350 groups have managed to register with the authorities. None is known to have pulled out so far. Yet, this could change in 2018. Small NGOs find it particularly difficult to comply with the new regulations, and some groups face more difficulties then others. MERICS Director of Communications Claudia Wessling talks to Jessica Batke in the new MERICS Experts Podcast.