The society set an excellent example by coordinating with the federation, Zhao said.

To date, only 21 of the 187 global Red Cross societies worldwide have completed the certification process and Konoe praised China for its openness.

"It's like operating on yourself to heal your own defects and this takes courage," Zhao said.

The society is at the first stage of the certification process. This involves an internal evaluation that is carried out domestically by specialists, society decision makers and some branch leaders.

Internal governance, organizational independence, leadership capacity, volunteer mobilization, and public supervision need to be substantially improved to meet today's challenges, Zhao said.

About the broadcaster:

Rosie Tuck is a copy editor at the China Daily website. She was born in New Zealand and graduated from Auckland University of Technology with a Bachelor of Communications studies majoring in journalism and television. In New Zealand she was working as a junior reporter for the New Zealand state broadcaster TVNZ. She is in Beijing on a 2017 Pacific Media Centre international internship with the AUT/China Daily Exchange Programme, in partnership with the Asia New Zealand Foundation. She is working as a journalist in the English news department at the China Daily website.

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