Home | China | World | Business China to Revise Commodity Inspection Law THU, FEB 28, 2002     Chinese top legislature will amend the law on import and export commodity inspections, to honour commitments China made on its entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). At the plenum meeting of the 26th session of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People's Congress NPC), which opened in Beijing Wednesday morning, Li Changjiang, director of the State Administration of Quality Supervision and Quarantine, delivered an explanatory report on the draft amendments to the law. The draft amendments stipulate a uniform national certification system should be adopted for all import and export commodities, to conform with WTO rules. Currently the quality certification system is used for import and export commodities while the compulsory certification system is used for products sold only on the domestic market. Draft amendments have been drawn up for inspections "for the purpose of protecting people's health and security, protecting the environment, preventing illegal activities and safeguarding national security" replacing the out-dated "in the light of the needs in the development of foreign trade." "This conforms to the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)," Li stressed. The draft does not include commercial articles on specifications, quantity and weight of commodities found in the current law. The official said that the draft also does away with time limits when applying for reconsideration of a punishment which has been imposed or when bringing lawsuit against a punishment imposed. The current law on import and export commodity inspection was enacted by the 6th session of the Standing Committee of 7th NPC in February 1989, and was put into force on August 1 of the same year. Editor:Hope CCTV.com Recommend to your friend email:    China Central Television,All Rights Reserved