The Supreme People’s Court will issue a judicial
explanation for the Law on Protection of Consumers’ Rights in
accordance with changing circumstances, but it is yet to list it in
its work plan.
On World Consumers’ Rights Day, March 15,
Beijing-based newspaper Jingbao quoted an official from the
court’s research department as saying that, “Publishing a judicial
explanation is a serious measure with strict procedures.”
When applied laws are found to be too general,
abstract or ambiguous, judicial explanations from the Supreme
People’s Court are supposed to clarify the situation. The law on
consumers’ rights currently does not help to bring prosecutions in
some cases.
The official said that each judicial explanation
has to go through stages of planning, investigation and study,
drafting, opinion solicitation and finalizing before getting
approval from the court’s examination committee. This process can
take anything from six months to several years.
Just how long depends on the complexity and
progress of the preparatory work. For example, judicial
explanations concerning insurance and arbitration need repeated
investigation and discussion and take a comparatively long time to
complete.
The Law on Protection of Consumers’ Rights has a
clear impact on people’s lives. Although the law’s judicial
explanation hasn’t been included in the court’s plan, the official
said it does regard it as important, and that it would be possible
for the process to start in one or two years.
Other judicial explanations dealing with contract,
insurance, arbitration and company law, which are closely related
to consumers’ rights, are also under consideration, said the
official.
Not everyone agrees that a judicial explanation
will be the best course of action in improving consumers’ rights in
China.
“It’s of little use trying to streamline the Law on
Protection of Consumers’ Rights by amending it and making a
judicial explanation,” said Liu Xiaoping on March 13, vice leader
of the Bureau for Protection of Consumers’ Rights under the State
Administration of Industry and Commerce.
“Those defending consumers’ rights are now faced
with many problems. The current law is no longer suited to present
circumstances,” said Liu, “It would be comparatively easy for the
State Council to issue new regulations and amend them in a timely
fashion.”
(China.org.cn by Zhang Tingting, March 21,
2005)