Sailors' rights get legal protection

The working conditions of sailors - including those working on foreign vessels - will get legal protection, according to a regulation which comes into force on September 1.

The rule, the first of its kind, orders employers to give sailors a five-day paid break once they have spent two months aboard a vessel, in addition to legal holidays, and health, unemployment and retirement insurance.

Promulgated on April 30 by the State Council, China's highest administrative body, the regulation will benefit 1.55 million Chinese sailors, the largest number in the world.