BEIJING, Nov. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- China will cultivate more non-governmental organizations (NGOs), offer preferential support for enterprises entering the social welfare system and learn from the world in a bid to expand public welfare, a government minister said Sunday.

    Minister of Civil Affairs Li Xueju told the opening ceremony ofthe Transnational Businesses and Civil Affairs Forum that China had attached great importance to development of a public welfare system since the founding of new China in 1949.

    A law concerning public welfare donations was issued in 1999 toensure the improvement of public welfare, and NGOs played a major role in social welfare, Li acknowledged.

    The Third Plenum of the 16th Central Committee of the CommunistParty of China (CPC) outlined a socialist morality system, which set orientations and made room for the development of China's public welfare.

    Li said China would try to create the best possible conditions for public welfare as it was relatively backward and there was still unbalanced regional development.

    The three-day forum is co-hosted by 16 public welfare organizations, including the China Charity Federation (CCF) and US-China Business Council. Multinationals such as Amway and Coca-Colaattended the forum, the first of its kind ever hosted by China..

    More than 230,000 NGOs have been established in China and they play crucial roles in poverty alleviation, environmental protection, and assisting the unemployed. Enditem