China's national legislature is reviewing the draft of the foreign NGO management law this week. The proposed law requires that foreign non-governmental organizations accept supervision by public security authorities and explain the sources of their funding and how their budgets are spent. The current draft, which is the third and possibly final one, has seen some changes from previous drafts. It would impose fewer restrictions on foreign NGOs such as allowing them to have more than one office in China.

China's move toward signing the law has triggered a lot of controversies over the country's approaches to dealing with foreign NGOs. Western media label it as tightening control over foreign groups. Such voices have been constantly heard since the first draft was introduced in May last year. A New York Times commentary argued that China is closing its door to the outside world by passing this strict law on foreign organizations.

How to properly manage overseas NGOs has been a thorny issue. On the one hand, some Western NGOs have brought advanced ideas in social governance and problem-solving to developing nations. But on the other, these groups, carrying Western ideologies and values, may function in a way that encourages their host country to break away from social reality. In some cases, overseas NGOs advocate their ideals in a radical way. This in turn has generated conflicts between local governments and the public.

A number of countries have issued regulations and laws aimed at managing foreign NGOs. In May last year, a "cancelation order" issued by India's home ministry said the government had canceled the registration of nearly 9,000 foreign associations for their failures to declare details of donations from abroad. The Indian government believed the activities of these groups were damaging the country's economy by opposing power projects and mining.

Admittedly, there is a growing value of NGOs and other civil society groups in developing countries to meet the needs of different social groups. Worldwide, some NGOs have become an important factor in shaping global economic and political patterns. As China is trying to build soft-power prestige across the globe, it needs its own influential NGOs. During this process, it is bound to engage with foreign NGOs, with contradictions in ideas expected. Under the condition of securing social stability, the government can facilitate and guide foreign NGOs to play a constructive role in China's social development and cross-nation engagement.

If it is approved, the latest law's enforcement would be carried out by the Ministry of Public Security, not by the Ministry of Civil Affairs that used to regulate foreign NGOs. These NGOs may feel unaccustomed to the changes. This requires the government to enforce the law with prudence and transparency.