Chinese consumer rights advocates are calling for more judicial support to make the law protecting consumers more effectively, the China Daily reported on Tuesday.
"The law itself is strong, but it is not at present effectively enforced," Han Huasheng, deputy director of the Division of Complaints and Legal Affairs of the China Consumers' Association, was quoted as saying.
The law, which was endorsed in October 1993 and took effect in January 1994, offers guidelines, and local regulations supporting the law have provided specifics on how to protect consumers, Han said.
Though all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities on the Chinese mainland have worked out their own rules on how to implement the law, most consumers still find it difficult to solve their disputes with sellers in court.
The normal court proceedings are too lengthy and complicated for ordinary consumers who usually have small claims, said Han.
Han advocates that most of the cases involving consumers' rights should be heard under summary proceedings, a simplified trial procedure.
The courts should also accept group actions, the most effective way in which consumers' rights can be protected in court, said Wang Chuming, a Beijing lawyer, who complained that the law is not practical in some cases.
Wang suggested that the law should introduce a recall system, both voluntary and government-imposed, to protect consumers from products that pose potential threats.
(Xinhua News Agency July 30, 2002)
