Two Chinese industry associations punished for illegally charging members

BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Two Chinese industry associations received warnings for illegally charging their members, and had their illicit revenue confiscated, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Tuesday.

The China Building Decoration Association was found charging members a total of 4.31 million yuan (669,000 U.S. dollars) from 2013 to 2016, through hosting several industry rating events, according to a ministry press release.

The China Water Resource Electricity Quality Control Association was found charging its members 110,000 yuan ,through hosting national contests from 2014 to 2016, the statement added.

Found in 1984, the China Building Decoration Association has about 17,500 member firms in construction and decoration industries.

Found in 1983, the China Water Resource Electricity Quality Control Association has about 297 member firms in quality control services for water conservation and power supply projects.

The ministry will step up effort against such offences as excessive membership fees or fees for attending industry events. Enditem