New laws to help shape China's Civil Code

By Xie Chuanjiao (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-10-30 07:21

China is working on two more important laws on civil relations that will help complete the Civil Code by 2013, a senior official said Wednesday.

"The Law of Torts and Application of Law in Foreign Civil Relations will complete the Chinese corpus on civil law if both are approved by the National People's Congress (NPC)," Kan Ke, spokesman for the general office of the Standing Committee of the NPC, said.

Kan was commenting on a plan yesterday to review 49 laws by 2013 pertaining to the NPC, food security, postal services, senior citizens, and other civil, criminal and administrative procedures

Current laws concerning civil relations already include property, obligations, marriages, inheritance, adoptions, copyrights, trademarks and patents.

NPC Standing Committee vice-chairman Li Jianguo said that China also intends to formulate a socialist law system with Chinese characteristics by 2010.

The laws to be reviewed, and to be incorporated into the social law system within the next five years include ones on mental health, social rescue and relief, and charity.

"It is far too difficult for the country to introduce just one social security law, it must be made up of laws embracing different social security sectors," Kan said.

Currently there are only two social security laws, the Labor Contract Law and the Employment Promotion Law for the protection of workers' rights.

Kan said there are also plans to review the law on supervision of the administration to further extend the legal protection of citizens' rights and interests.

Li pledged that public opinion will be considered in the review of the laws.

"All reviews by the committee, except a few that are confidential, will be made public, we are especially seeking grassroot opinions," Li said.

China currently has 231 laws. Since 1991, the committee has formulated five legislation plans to intensify and strive for the building of a government that exercises the rule of law.

Li said their work is getting tougher each year following the reform and opening up.

"Some social contradictions and problems unavoidably will crop up in our legislation work. We have to find the right solutions," Li said.