Wang Yue, chairman of the board of directors of the
Chinese Association of Non-Government Organizations (CANGO) told a
forum of German and Chinese non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
in Beijing on Monday that China is in the right place and at the
right time to develop grassroots democracy and learn how to arouse
public participation from Germany.
The two-day forum, which opened yesterday, was
jointly sponsored by the CANGO and the Germany-based Konrad
Adenauer Foundation, and aims to bring together Chinese and German
experts to exchange views and experiences on developing grassroots
democracy through the work of NGOs.
?
Sun Weilin, a senior Ministry of Civil Affairs
official in charge of the CANGO, said the world is undergoing a
transformation toward economic globalization and cultural diversity
and the CANGO has also seen progress and played an increasingly
vital role in Chinese society.
The government sees the development of NGOs as
extremely important, said Sun, and has formulated policies and
regulations to ensure a positive environment for them.
China has 290,000 registered NGOs, which Sun said
are especially crucial in public service and charity sectors.
Wolfgang Kessler, minister-counselor of the German
embassy in Beijing, said many countries realize NGOs are socially
responsible agencies that complement the role of government.
Winfried Jung, Konrad Adenauer Foundation Resident
Representative to China, said that the 500,000 NGOs in Germany have
contributed a lot to society.
According to Wang, cooperation between China and
German NGOs has extended to various spheres such as legal aid,
women's issues and the development of grassroots democracy.
(Xinhua News Agency December 20, 2005)