Car curbing policies should be fairer

On March 25, Hangzhou introduced a car license plate lottery, making it the sixth city in China - the others being Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Guiyang and Tianjin - to put restrictions on car purchases.

In a society ruled by law, any policy that is going to affect the public must be carried out according to the law and based on fair procedures. The people that will be affected by the policy have the right to be informed and to be heard.

From the economic point of view, buying and selling a car is market behavior that should be determined by demand and supply. In light of the spirit of freedom of contract, the government is supposed to interfere as little as possible. Setting a quota on car license plates is a restriction of free trade and against market economy norms.