Twenty-seven laws and regulations come into effect today, including five national and 22 local regulations that pertain mainly to farm product safety, securities supervision and environmental protection.

 

In relation to farm product safety, the State Safety Law on Farm Products introduces a system of routine surveillance and spot checks.

 

Under this regulation, the following five types of farm products are barred from entering the Chinese market:

 

l         Those containing chemical materials such as pesticides and antibiotics;

l         Those with levels of heavy metals that exceed national standards;

l         Products that are contaminated with pathogenic parasites, micro-organisms or any biological toxin;

l         Products preserved with antiseptics, chemical additives or other preservative that does not comply with national standards; and

l         Any other product that does not qualify under the relevant prevailing standards.

 

Anyone who suffers injury or damage as a result of consumption of contaminated products can claim compensation from either the producers or sellers of those products.

 

The new law also prohibits the setting up of production bases in areas with toxicity levels in excess of national safety standards. Also prohibited is the illegal discharge of wastewater and gas, solid waste or other toxic substances to production bases.

 

There are also provisions for genetically modified (GM) farm products. GM foods must be properly marked in accordance with the relevant rules and regulations. In addition, the law stipulates a maximum 100,000 yuan (US$12,705) fine for falsification of test results and/or inaccurate listing of ingredients.

 

Also effective today are regulations pertaining to the securities market. Industry watchdog China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) released its Regulations on Risk Control of Securities Companies, which stipulates the net capital threshold of stock companies. According to the regulations, the total investment made by a single customer should not be more than 5 percent of the company's net capital.

 

On the environmental protection front, there are new regulations to govern land reclamation projects, in particular regulations that identify location and scale of such projects.

 

(China.org.cn by Li Xiaohua, November 1, 2006)