China issues rules to regulate unauthorized award activities by civil society groups

China published new rules on Thursday banning civil society groups from staging unauthorized awards and recognition activities, as Beijing moves to curb what it described as chaotic and excessive industry accolades.

The rules, which take effect next month, also prohibit civil society groups from jointly organizing recognition activities with overseas or foreign entities.

Issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Social Work Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the measures require all recognition programs organized by industry associations, charitable foundations and nonprofits to obtain government approval and be included on a whitelist managed by the ministry.

Under the new framework, organizations applying to conduct recognition activities must hold a 4A rating, the second-highest tier, or above, maintain a clean compliance record for the past three years, and have received no penalties for unauthorized activities during the previous five years.

The rules also prohibit organizations from charging fees for recognition activities or collaborating with or outsourcing such events to for-profit entities. They are further barred from using the activities to distribute illegal bonuses.

Individual awards are subject to state-set monetary caps, while group awards may not include cash prizes.

The measures specify that activities requiring prior government approval include naming campaigns conferring titles such as "City of" or "Hometown of", awards using terms such as "national", "Chinese" or "global", and recognition ceremonies held in conjunction with summits, forums or gala events.