China will soon open a national center to handle complaints and
petitions from the public as part of a national complaints
information system. This will ensure that any problems or grips
from the general population will receive appropriate and expedient
attention, according to a newly released regulation reported by
Xinhua yesterday.
The information system will enable members of the public to log
and check how the government is handling public complaints and
petitions, the regulation said.
The regulation, co-issued by the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council, China's
cabinet, stated that local governments should keep their public
complaint reception channels open and unclogged.
The regulation specified that all CPC committees and levels of
government should pay full attention and respect to the people's
right to complain to them and should seriously handle all such
cases, the regulation said.
It dictated that local governments should make available mail
boxes, hotlines, and online channels for the public to direct their
complaints and that state officials should regularly solicit
petitioners to appear in front of special hearings.
"Local governments should also guide the people to make
complaints and petitions in rational and legal ways," the
regulation said.
An effective system of handling public complaints must be worked
out through the coordination of all relevant government organs, who
must team up to help supervise the petition work, it reads.
The regulation also said that local governments should view
suggestions from petition departments with due care and
consideration when drafting new policies, in order to better
reflect the will of the grass roots.
(Xinhua News Agency June 25, 2007)