中國境外NGO法律引恐外爭議

Dozens of non-governmental organisations, business associations and foreign governments have hit out at a “xenophobic” Chinese law that critics say could severely limit everything from charitable activities to educational exchanges with the outside world.

數十個非政府組織(NGO)、商業協會及外國政府，已對中國一條“恐外”法律發起強烈譴責。批評人士表示，這一法律可能會嚴重限制從慈善活動到對外教育交流在內的一切活動。

A public comment period for a draft law regulating foreign NGOs closes on Wednesday, triggering an outpouring of criticism. Most controversially, it gives China’s Ministry of Public Security oversight over a sector that has previously worked most closely with the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

《中華人民共和國境外非政府組織管理法（草案二次審議稿）》（簡稱《草案》）將於6月4日結束對公衆徵求意見。它引發了大量批評。最具爭議的是，《草案》讓中國公安部監督一個此前與民政部合作最密切的領域。

The legislation’s more draconian provisions require foreign NGOs to find an official government “sponsor”, which must approve their activities for 2016 by November 30.

《草案》中比以往更嚴厲的條款要求，境外NGO必須擁有官方的“業務主管單位”。境外NGO將在2016年開展的活動，必須在今年11月30日以前由業務主管單位批准。

Failure to comply with the new rules could subject foreign NGOs and their domestic partners to criminal penalties.

如未能遵守這些新的規定，可能會令境外NGO及其國內合作方受到刑事處罰。

“When you read the law it’s scary,” says Anthony Spires, a sociologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and civil society expert. “It could fundamentally alter the way NGOs operate in China.”

香港中文大學(Chinese University of Hong Kong)社會學家、公民社會專家安子傑(Anthony Spires)表示：“這一法律讀起來令人害怕。它可能會從根本上改變NGO在華運作方式。”

Prof Spires recently attended a meeting on the new law hosted by the China Association for NGO Co-operation, or Cango, at which participants were “extremely critical”. Cango said it could not comment immediately because the organisation’s secretary-general was in Europe on a business trip.

安子傑教授最近參加了由中國國際民間組織合作促進會(CANGO)主持召開的有關這一新法律的會議。在此次會議上，與會者對該法律表示“極大譴責”。而中國國際民間組織合作促進會則表示，由於該組織的祕書長正在歐洲出差，該組織無法立刻置評此事。

Most NGOs, whether Chinese or foreign, are reluctant to speak publicly about the controversy, which many say reflects a larger campaign by the ruling Chinese Communist party to root out “hostile foreign forces” and snuff out any signs of dissent in civil society.

不論是中國的NGO還是外國NGO，多數都不願公開談及這一爭議。許多人表示，這一爭議反映出執政的中國共產黨正在開展一場更大規模的運動，以根除“境外敵對勢力”，在公民社會中消除不滿跡象。

Similar concerns have been expressed about the Chinese government’s draft counter-terrorism and national security laws, as well as regulations that would have forced banks to buy only equipment deemed “secure and controllable” by the banking regulator and industries ministry. The banking regulations were suspended in April after a concerted lobbying effort by Washington, Brussels and US and EU business groups.

對於中國政府的反恐法及國家安全法草案，以及有關銀行的信息安全新規，人們也表達了類似擔憂。該銀行信息安全新規由中國銀監會和工信部發布，原本要強制銀行只購買被兩者視爲“安全可控”的設備。今年4月，在美國、歐盟(EU)、及歐美商業團體的共同遊說努力下，這一銀行監管規定被暫停實施。

“This law is driven by a kind of xenophobia,” said one person who works closely with small Chinese NGOs. “It is therefore not about regulating a sector but controlling that sector because of its association with ‘bad’ foreign influences.”

一位與多家小型中國NGO密切合作的人士表示：“該法律是在一種恐外情緒推動下制定的。因此它的目的不是監管、而是控制該領域，因爲後者與外國‘不良’影響有關。”

The public security and civil affairs ministries declined to comment. In a rare public expression of concern, the European Chamber of Commerce in China said the law would affect a broad array of organisations that its member countries “rely on for information sharing, research, market development, innovation . . . [and] corporate social responsibility activities”.

中國公安部和民政部均拒絕置評此事。對該法律擔憂的罕見公開表態來自中國歐盟商會(European Chamber of Commerce in China)，歐盟商會表示，該法律可能會影響許多組織，而該商會的成員國“依靠（這些組織）進行信息共享、研究、市場開發、創新……（以及）企業社會責任活動”。

“The increase in the administrative burden and related costs for foreign NGOs is set to be significant,” said the chamber’s president, Jörg Wuttke. “Foreign NGOs will find it ever less appealing to stay in China, depriving the Chinese marketplace of an important catalyst and international businesses of a trusted partner.”

中國歐盟商會主席伍德克(Jörg Wuttke)表示：“境外NGO的管理負擔及相關成本將顯著增加。境外NGO會發現留在中國的吸引力遠不如從前，這一方面會令中國市場失去重要的催化劑，另一方面則會令國際企業失去可信賴的合作伙伴。”

A spokesman for the EU delegation to China said the bloc, China’s largest trading partner, was “very concerned about the draft law”. He noted the legislation’s vague definitions for what constitutes an NGO and its activities, as well as limits on where they can work and establish branches.

歐盟駐華代表團發言人表示，作爲中國最大的貿易伙伴，歐盟“非常關心這一法律草案”。他指出此項立法關於NGO的構成及活動的定義都很模糊，也沒明確NGO可以在哪兒展開工作和設立分支機構。

According to diplomats, at least two western embassies attempted to submit formal diplomatic letters — or démarches — highlighting their concerns to the Ministry of Public Security, which refused to accept them. The diplomats said their embassies were now preparing démarches for the National People’s Congress, which will decide on the law’s final draft, and other government bureaux.

據外交人士表示，至少有兩個西方駐華使館嘗試向中國公安部遞交正式外交信函——或進行外交交涉——以強調他們對此事的擔憂，但公安部拒絕接受這些信函。外交人士表示他們的大使館正準備與中國全國人民代表大會以及其他政府決策部門進行外交交涉。該法的最終草案將由中國全國人大決定。

Some experts said the NPC might include “carveouts” exempting foreign universities and commercial organisations from the new legislation, thereby setting out clear but worrying new boundaries between permissible and non-permissible activities for organisations active in civil society.

有專家表示，中國全國人大可能會設置“例外條款”，將外國大學和商業機構從這一新立法中豁免，從而爲在公民社會中活躍的組織，就准許的活動和不准許的活動劃下明確、但令人擔憂的新界線。

Others have expressed disappointment at the sidelining of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, which has long experience in dealing with foreign and domestic NGOs. “The civil affairs ministry has been pushed out of the discussion,” said Prof Spires. “The Ministry of Public Security is already preparing a regulatory bureau, so they are not going to give [these powers] back.”

另一些人對中國民政部被旁觀表達了失望，該部門在與國內外NGO打交道方面擁有長期經驗。安子傑教授表示：“民政部被排除在討論之外。公安部已籌備了監管局，所以他們不會還回（這些權力）。”

Web censors embrace social media

網絡審查包圍社交媒體

China’s “Internet police” are opening their own social media accounts in an effort to be more transparent about their own monitoring and censorship activities, the Ministry of Public Security said in an announcement on Sunday night.

中國公安部上週日晚間發表公告稱，中國的“網警”正在建立自己的社交媒體賬戶，努力提高其監督和審查活動的透明度。

“The internet police are coming out from behind the curtains to the stage,” the ministry said. According to the announcement, at least 50 local branches of the public security unit responsible for policing “illegal and harmful” online information will publicise more of their activities via accounts on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter.

中國公安部表示：“網警從幕後走向前臺。”根據這項公告，至少50個負責監控網絡“違法犯罪信息和有害信息”的省市公安機關，將通過微博（Weibo，相當於中國的Twitter）賬戶更多地發佈他們的活動。

Twitter is blocked in China alongside popular international sites such as Facebook, although many Chinese people including government officials routinely access them through virtual private network tools that can penetrate the country’s “Great Firewall”.

中國屏蔽了Twitter及Facebook等國外流行網站，不過許多中國人包括政府官員常常通過虛擬專用網絡(VPN)訪問這些網站，VPN工具可以穿透中國的“長城防火牆”(Great Firewall)。

Police departments and courts have used Weibo accounts for many years to publicise everything from routine activities to live transcripts in sensitive political cases. But this is believed to be the first time the public security ministry’s own internet police have embraced the tool.

近年來，公安部門和法院都使用微博賬戶發佈消息，包括從日常活動到敏感政治案件的現場實錄文本。但據信這是公安部自己的網警首次使用這一工具。

Internet postings by rights activists, labour leaders and others are now routinely collected by police as they attempt to build cases against people accused of “disrupting social order” — a charge with a maximum prison sentence of five years. “Just like in the real world, law violations in cyber space will not go unpunished,” the ministry said.

中國警察現在經常收集人權活動家、工會領導人等人發佈的網帖，以圖對那些被控犯有“擾亂社會秩序”罪者立案，這項指控最高面臨7年刑期。公安部表示：“網絡社會與現實社會一樣，任何違法犯罪行爲都要負法律責任。”