China has 670,000 non-governmental organizations: white paper

BEIJING -- The number of non-governmental organizations that had registered at offices of civil affairs in China hit 670,000 by June 2016, a white paper said Thursday.

The white paper titled "The Right to Development: China's Philosophy, Practice and Contribution," said there were 329,000 mass organizations, 5,028 foundations, and 336,000 private non-profit units.

The document, released by the State Council Information Office, added these non-governmental organizations' services and influence extend to education, science and technology, culture, health, sports, communities, environmental protection, public welfare, charity, rural economy and other fields of public life.

China has also improved the environment for the disabled, encouraging them to participate in cultural and sports activities, according to the white paper.

It said China had more than 300,000 liaison stations for volunteers helping the disabled, with 8.5 million registered volunteers by the end of 2015.

China has issued the "Outline for the National IT Application Development Strategy," enhanced information accessibility of government websites, and encouraged non-governmental organizations to provide individualized information services to the disabled, according to the white paper.

By the end of 2014, China set up 1,515 reading rooms for the visually impaired in public libraries at all levels nationwide, it said, adding the nation had established 65,918 public e-libraries, mainly to serve the elderly and rural migrant workers, by the end of 2015.