China will establish a national center receiving public complaints and petitions and set up a national public complaints information system, to ensure the public complaints to be handled effectively and in time, according to a newly released regulation.

The information system will also make it convenient for the public to check and the government to supervise the handling process of public complaints and petitions, the regulation said.

The regulation, co-issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council, said local governments should keep the channels for public complaints and petitions unblocked.

CPC committees and governments at all levels should fully respect and protect the people's right of making complaints and petitions and seriously handle their complaints, the regulation said.

"The behaviors of restricting or intervening normal public complaints should be corrected," it read.

It said local governments should open mail boxes, hotlines, and online channels for public complaints, officials should hold hearings for petitioners regularly.

"Local governments should also guide the people to make complaints and petitions in rational and legal ways," the regulation said.

An effective system of handling public complaints should be established by well coordinating all the relevant government organs to help deal with and supervise the petition work, according to the regulation.

The regulation also said that local governments should attach importance to the suggestions from petition departments when making policies, to protect the interests of the people.

"Local government should also listen to the public when making policies to encourage the people to take part in the administration of national affairs," it said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 25, 2007)