Overseas charities and other non-profit groups in China are preparing to reduce their activities when a new law giving police sweeping powers over their operations comes into effect on Sunday, after officials said there would be no “grace-period” for enforcement.

The legislation requiring the China offices of charities and foundations to find an official sponsor and file regular and detailed activity plans to the police is seen as one of the ways the ruling Communist party intends to cement its rule by asserting control over a burgeoning civil society. 

China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) waited until last week to publish a list of eligible sponsors, meaning that almost none of the thousands of foreign non-profits in China — ranging from charities such as Greenpeace and Oxfam to funds such as the Ford Foundation — will meet the law's conditions before the January 1 deadline.