China unveils first comprehensive naming guidelines for social organizations, avoiding misleading expressions

China's Ministry of Civil Affairs has recently introduced regulations aimed at effectively managing the names of social organizations. The regulations are the first comprehensive guidelines for the naming of such entities, and will come into effect on May 1, 2024, according to the ministry.

China currently has nearly 900,000 social organizations nationwide, including social groups, foundations, and private non-enterprise entities. There are regulations that govern the naming of foundations and private non-enterprise entities, but there is a lack of legislative clarity regarding the names of social groups.

The new regulations provide standardized expressions for the first time regarding the names of social groups, which is conducive to the establishment of a unified name management system for social organizations, according to the ministry on Wednesday.

The regulations stipulate that the terms "first," "highest," "national-level" and similar misleading words are not allowed to be used in the names of social organizations, but with exceptions for terms with specific meaning.

The ministry explained that there is also an urgent need to address prominent issues and establish standardized management. For instance, there are still some social organizations with problematic names, some of which improperly use words such as "China," and "national." Some names do not appropriately include details relating to the entity's administrative division.

It also regulates the use of specific individuals' names in the appellations of social groups. Social groups are not named after individuals generally, unless the individual has a significant contribution and enjoys a high reputation both domestically and internationally, in the fields of science and technology, culture, health, education, or art.

If a social organization name is not in line with the provisions of the regulations, the registration authorities shall urge the organization to correct the inappropriate name by means of renaming or cancellation, and strengthen annual inspection and evaluation.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs has jointly conducted special operations with other departments to crack down on illegal social organizations in 2023. Over 1,100 illegal social organizations have been disposed of in accordance with the law, and 164 illegal social organization websites and apps have been shut down, Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.