国内英语新闻:China amends consumer rights law

E-SHOPPING

One of the freshest elements of the revision is about e-commerce. The revised law for the first time regulates merchandise and service transactions through the Internet, television, phone and post.

In the first three quarters of the year, online retailing grossed a revenue of 1.3 trillion yuan (209.68 billion U.S. dollars) in China, which is equal to last year's annual figure and up from 26.3 billion yuan in 2006, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

The new law allows e-shoppers to unconditionally return goods for refunds within seven days of transaction but requires them to pay logistics costs.

It also lists products not suitable for unconditional returns and refunds, such as digital products sold via downloads, audio-visual goods with the packaging removed, bespoke products, fresh and perishable goods, magazines, newspapers and software.

Consumers can seek compensation from online trading platforms if the platforms fail to provide valid contact details for vendors using their networks. After compensating consumers, the platforms are entitled to claim compensation from the vendors.

Leaking personal information of consumers has also emerged as a big problem.

"This revision has strict regulations on how operators should collect and use personal information and what punishment offenders will receive,which is a highlight," said Liu Junchen, deputy director of the State Administration for Industry & Commerce, also at the press conference.

The new law requires business owners to obtain consumers' consent and explicitly explain the purpose, form and scope of information use before collecting and using customers' personal information. They are banned from leaking, selling or illegally providing the information while being asked to adopt necessary technical measures to ensure security of such data.

As an implementation of the law, the administration will list leaking consumers' personal information as a category of complaints and step up cooperation with the police, the ministries of commerce and information technology to curb any offenses, Liu said.