Chinese lawmakers on Friday adopted the amended Postal Law after days of a second reading to better protect public freedom and security in using mail services.

The amendment, first deliberated last October during the 5th Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, underwent the second review at the 8th session which concluded on Friday.

The law was originally adopted in December 1986.

Wu Bangguo, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said on Friday that the law amended specified regulations on the business scope and charge of the postal service, enhanced supervision over postal and express mail services and improved protection over mailing security and clents' rights.

"It (the law) is of great importance for improving postal services and meeting the needs of people's daily life and social development," he said.

New stipulations include an article forbidding all organizations or individuals from opening, hiding, damaging or discarding others' letters, instead of just preventing postal workers from doing so.

State and public security bureaus and agencies, however, are entitled to check, keep mail and deliveries when investigating crimes, it reads, adding courier services are obliged to offer client information if security bureaus found it necessary.

No individual is allowed to spread information that may threaten national security in mail and deliveries, it notes.

With regard to the express mail service, the amendment bans foreign companies from delivering letters within China for security reasons.

Responding to concerns that the article might breach China's commitments to the World Trade Organization, Qiao Xiaoyang of the NPC Law Committee said Monday that they were consistent as China in 2001 made specific commitments to open express mail services with the exception of "services monopolized by China's postal department according to the law," while the Postal Law stipulated that delivery of letters in China was a monopoly of the postal department.

Qiao said the amendment would not affect the development of foreign business operations in China, nor did it create new barriers for investment and trade.

The legal operations of foreign-invested delivery companies in China would continue to enjoy the protection of Chinese law, he said.

The amendment also puts forward stringent threshold for newcomers, requires intra-provincial express delivery companies to have at least half a million yuan (73,240 U.S. dollars) in registered capital, and the fees for inter-provincial and international businesses amount to 1 million and 2 million yuan respectively.

(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2009)