The editorial in this issue argues that the “birth control riots” in Guangxi underline the need for improved implementation of family planning rules which, despite the pain they have caused, have also played a key role in China’s social and economic transformation.

A feature article looks at the proliferation of gay support groups in China’s northeast and asks whether this a civil society success story or an opportunistic response to the influx of international funds.

A report on China’s new transparency rules for government notes that some progressive localities are ahead of the central government on this issue, and that national rules remain ambiguous as to how much the public has a right to know.

A review essay discusses some of the growing China-in-Africa literature.

Shorter items report on developments in EU-UNDP cooperation on civil society and biodiversity programs, on the rapid growth of a “Give2Asia” funding program, and on a WWF study that suggests China is not responsible for much of its “global footprint.”

The editorial in this edition argues that Chinese “Government-Organised NGOs” are unlikely to wither away any time soon—but that some need to wake up and clean up their act.

An accompanying feature article looks at the plans of governments and multinational corporations to boost China’s non-profit sector through a variety of “platforms” designed to increase visibility, but also transparency and accountability.

Rather than treating child trafficking as an isolated issue, the government of China should respond by creating comprehensive and integrated child protection mechanisms, Save the Children’s Kate Wedgwood, He Ye (何叶) and Sun Tiezheng (孙铁铮) argue in an article excerpted from a recent presentation to the Foreign Correspondents Club in Beijing.

Our February and March issue mainly concerns about rural situation in China. Editorial "Show Some Respect Amnesty" focus on rural migrants in China cities; "Capitalist Fillip for China's New Socialist Countryside" was written about rural funance; "Getting Together Again" pay attention to rural co-operation; First person "My Fortune Started with Two Rabbits and a Sickle" shows a story of a farmer, whose journey from poverty to ralative prosperity in rural Sichuan, and how this led him to become a social entrepreneur. There are also some short news in this issue.

Chinese environmentalists, whether from government, research institutes or NGOs, should be seen as comprising a “community”, not a “movement,” argues the editorial. A feature article explores the critically important but also extremely complex field of fiscal reform; while another feature article, contributed by Seattle University professor, Rob Efird, describes and discusses the activities in China of Japanese environmental NGOs. Shorter news pieces report on efforts by international NGO, Plan, to improve the registration procedures for rural children; on progress in an ADB-supported project to foster government-ngo partnerships in poverty alleviation; on changes in emphasis for a Hong Kong charity, Sowers Action, which supports education on China’s mainland, and on the findings of a study on maternal and child health published by Unicef, WHO and the Ministry of Health.

If China is to develop a globally competitive media industry, more freedom will have to be given to media professionals, argues the editorial. Professional development is also the theme of a feature article that discusses the status of social work in China. An analytical essay asks how much inequality China can stand. Shorter news stories report on: NGO “learning networks;” a “case bank” of gender experiences; greener consumption; the impacts of WTO on Chinese farmers and NGO networking in Qinghai Province.

WHO China representative, Henk Bekedam, talks in an interview about China’s progress, but also grave problems, in reviving an ailing health system; and this is followed by feature articles on patients’ self-help groups and on the stigma experienced by Hepatitis B positive students. Another feature explores the growth of NGO-government cooperation in social service delivery in Shanghai. This issue also includes a review of ongoing developments in socially aware art.

Includes a review of a World Bank report on the development of farmers associations in China, an assessment of government efforts to universalise access to primary education, and a feature article on Chinese dog owners who are lobbying to influence local policies and regulations for pets. Also features an interview with leading UK environmental activist, Jonathon Porrit, an article by microfinance specialist, Myriam Bartu, on NGO credit programmes in Sichuan and Yunnan.

As well as our usual array of news stories, this includes:

A feature article by our new staff writer, Chang Tianle, (常天乐) on the contribution to social service delivery and environmental protection made by Tibetan religious leaders and monasteries.

Forthright “notes from the front line” contributed by Zhao Zhonghua (赵中华) of Save the Children, who argues that quality projects with strong local ownership, as opposed to promotional “advocacy,” are the best way to achieve positive changes in Chinese policy and practice.

Our July/August edition begins with an editorial on the implications for the people of the Tibet Autonomous Regions of the new railway link to Lhasa. This issue also contains an interview with the World Bank's China Representative, David Dollar, about the Bank's current and future partnership with China; a first person narrative of woman village leader, a reviWu Jing'ai(吴京爱); a review of an article on rural issues by leading government analyste, Han Jun, and a wide selection of shorter news items.

Our June Edition contains a first person narrative of village doctor Zhang Changjian who has tried to draw government and media attention to a wave of illness that, he claims, is caused by a local chemical plant. You will also find a report on the causes that push Yi women into cross-cultural marriage, and a report on leadership changes in China’s ‘first generation’ NGOs.