Litigation in public interests encouraged

THE GUANGDONG PROVINCIAL CONSUMERS' ASSOCIATION in South China has filed the country's first public interest lawsuit for consumers requesting compensation. It is seeking more than 10 million yuan ($1.44 million) from 20 defendants who sold substandard pork products to customers. Southern Metropolis Daily commented on Tuesday:

Guangdong's public interest lawsuit marks a praiseworthy attempt to keep individual offenders and businesses in check.

Up until 2013 when the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests was revised, only individuals and corporations whose interests were directly involved could resort to litigation. Since the revision, judicial organs of the country have cleared obstacles for the consumers' associations to file public interest lawsuits.