Charity awards ceremony highlights need for transparency and public trust in philanthropy

State Councilor Shen Yiqin called for continuous efforts to bolster the transparency and credibility of charities as China held the 13th China Charity Awards ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday, recognizing outstanding contributions from philanthropic actors across the country.

The event opened with attendees standing to sing the national anthem. Vice-Minister of Civil Affairs Hu Haifeng then read the official commendation decision. Following that, senior officials presented awards to recipients, selected laureates took the floor to share remarks, and Shen delivered the keynote address ahead of the meeting's close.

Shen urged a balanced focus on fostering philanthropic development while enforcing regulatory oversight.

She said role model figures should be leveraged to foster a society valuing virtue and good deeds to advance sound and orderly growth of China's charity sector.

She noted notable progress in China's philanthropy in recent years. Looking ahead, authorities should promote charitable culture, expand channels for public participation, strengthen regulatory governance and ensure tangible public benefits from charitable activities.

Supportive policy measures should be rolled out to nurture charitable organizations and diversify ways for members of the public to take part in philanthropy, while award-winning exemplars should set benchmarks for wider society, according to Shen.

She stressed better internal governance of charitable entities together with full information disclosure to lift overall public trust in philanthropy.

Authorities should also better link charity programs with State-run social assistance systems. Charitable interventions ought to target vulnerable groups and people's most pressing practical needs to help resolve real-life hardships for the public.

The China Charity Awards, China's top official-level honor for the philanthropic domain, commends individuals, enterprises, volunteer teams, charitable projects and charitable trusts that deliver remarkable philanthropic results. A total of 92 recipients were recognized in this edition of the awards.