Beijing (AsiaNews) - China is "like Italy in the 1950s: great economic development but also great disparities. Despite its deep pockets, the government does not help the development of non-governmental organisations. This could become unsustainable for those involved in social work, forcing them to give up," a source operating in the social field told AsiaNews.
Following the publication of new financial rules for NGOs, which penalises religion-based groups that receive foreign funds, social workers could lose an indispensable source of funding.
"The issue is not religious," the source said. "The issue is that the government is afraid to see the growth of a movement like those that emerged during the Arab spring." For this reason, "it wants to stop funds from coming in. In so doing, it is stifling us."
This is not a theoretical matter. "If until yesterday, it cost us ten dollars to reach n objective, now it costs us 20. Inflation, higher costs and salaries are an ongoing predicament. It is not easy to continue and maintain our organisation. Our employees want their salary doubled. The government makes matters worse because they can afford to pay more and so hire the best qualified people who might be people we trained for years."
Overall, China's economic growth has not had only positive outcomes. "We are happy to see the country advance in every field; however, people must understand that development must be sustainable. The country's labour policies fail to take into consideration the needs of the social field. There is a temptation to drop everything, but if we did this, our clients would lose. That is a price too high to pay."