Chinese officials eager to understand how American charities operate have traveled to the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and Practice to learn from experts in the field, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Although giving in China is growing, the nation's charitable sector is much less developed than its U.S. counterpart. Indeed, while the U.S. system is characterized by low transaction costs, political pluralism, and a relatively high degree of transparency, the Chinese government keeps a firm grip on the charitable sector in China. According to the Inquirer, nongovernmental organizations operating in China cannot solicit donations, and the Chinese government requires all charities that want to fundraise to apply for a license, which makes it relatively easy for the government to shutter an organization if it is deemed to be a threat.

To help China improve how its charitable sector operates, Tianxue Qiu, a Beijing native who earned a master's degree in nonprofit leadership at Penn and now runs a consultancy in China, was awarded a series of grants to bring Chinese government officials to Penn to learn from local nonprofit and philanthropic leaders. For example, in March National Philanthropic Trust president and CEO Eileen Heisman spoke with one group for eight hours about the role of nonprofit boards and executive directors and how they operate without government oversight. "It's so counter to how their world is structured," said Hesiman.