A DEPUTY to Shenzhen Municipal People s Congress has submitted a proposal to reform consumer rights protection and open a university to train professionals in consumer rights protection.
The 15,000 character proposal by Yang Jianchang referred to five major drawbacks such as insufficient market supervision, an unsound legal system and channels to solve disputes, high costs in rights protection, obscure position of the consumers council and a shortage of staff.
The proposal follows a demand from the office of Premier Wen Jiabao during the Spring Festival, according to the director of the Luohu Consumer Council.
Yang submitted his first draft to the State Council in August last year after three months of research. Premier Wen s office called three times and asked me to finish the final draft and submit it. The draft was finished Feb. 25, said Yang, who has been involved in consumer protection for 17 years.
The Consumer Rights Law has never been modified since it was promulgated 17 years ago and it has lagged behind social development and failed to satisfy the demands of consumer rights protection, said Yang.
Counterfeit products are rampant and new ways of infringing consumer rights are emerging with consumption, such as online shopping, becoming more diversified, Yang said.
Consumer confidence was falling with increasing negative incidents and scandals in food safety in recent years.
The State Council should establish a consumer rights protection commission directly under the Central Government for the enforcement of the Consumer Right Law and market supervision, said Yang. A university should be established to train professionals and small claims courts should be established to handle minor disputes, according to Yang s proposal. (Han Ximin)
