Senior officials said Tuesday that a draft charity law would be reviewed at the end of this year, and that lawmakers have brought changes to the Red Cross Society Law under consideration.

Wang Shengming, deputy director of the Internal and Judicial Affairs Committee of the 12th NPC, said a draft describing the management, use and disclosure of charity funds was completed in February, and that they hope to submit the draft to the NPC Standing Committee for review at the end of 2015.

Wang said that Chinese society still lacks a passion for charity, adding that rules for supervising charity need to be improved, to make charities' work more transparent.

Experts expected the charity law to help tap the potential of non-governmental charities and build up ordinary people's trust in them.

"The law will specify and relax registration requirements for philanthropic organizations, describe the duties of volunteers, strengthen the management and use of charitable funds and stipulate the government's supervisory role," Liu Youping, deputy head at the China Charity and Donation Information Center, told the Global Times.

Zhang Gaorong, an assistant dean at Beijing Normal University China Philanthropy Research Institute, added that the line between commercial and charity activities will also be clarified.

Public concerns about embezzlement and improper management of charities have grown after a series of scandals in recent years. Nationwide donations in 2012 decreased for the second straight year, the Xinhua News Agency reported in September 2013.

Guo Meimei, a young woman who claimed to be a manager of an organization under the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) and openly flaunted her wealth and extravagant lifestyle on social media, did huge damage to the reputation of the RCSC in 2011.

Liu Binjie, head of the Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Committee of the NPC, said the draft amendment to the Red Cross Society Law is planned to be referred to the NPC Standing Committee this year.

Zhang told the Global Times that the revised law, which is aimed at RCSC, is likely to specifically clarify the duties of the government-sponsored organization, while the charity law would apply to non-governmental charities.