Beijing Urges Washington to Assess New NGO Law Objectively

BEIJING (Sputnik) – Chinese President Xi Jinping ratified the new legislation requiring foreign organizations to receive official approval to operate in mainland China on Thursday, after its approval in the third and final hearing in parliament. US State Secretary John Kerry said he was "deeply concerned" that the law would "negatively impact important people-to-people ties between our two countries."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying noted at a daily briefing that the new law "must be suitable to the conditions that exist in China."

"We hope that the countries concerned will respect China’s right to enact laws in their country and will see the law in an objective and positive point of view," Hua told reporters, commenting on Washington’s criticism.

The law stipulates that foreign NGOs must be registered, regulated and supervised by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security. The law authorizes Chinese police to conduct searches and to seal the offices of foreign organizations, as well as to questions their employees and to inspect documents.

Chinese media reports suggest the new restrictions will impact more than 7,000 foreign NGOs, active mostly in the fields of environmental protection, science and technology, education and culture.