Consumer rights need further work

Passive supervision

Although the government abolished the quality inspection exemption certificate, which was used as a shield by many holders, the system of passive supervision has been largely unchanged since 2008.

And the scandals continue to surface. From drug capsules made from chemicals intended to treat leather to "lamb" that's actually rat meat, frequent appalling food safety scandals continue to undermine public trust in the domestic food industry and weaken government credibility.

There's still another facet to the consumer rights story involving State-owned enterprises, especially in the fields of telecommunications, railway and banking.

Some "hegemony clauses" imposed by the SOEs with monopoly positions or dominant power in their industries put consumers at a disadvantage to begin with. And it's tough for consumers to win suits against these government-backed giants.

Chinese lawmakers are revising the Food Safety Law to increase the penalties for violators. These penalties could involve the death sentence for those who cause "grave" injuries with unsafe food or drugs.

On Saturday, officials will show up and deal with consumer complaints efficiently on CCTV's 3.15 Evening.

But there are 364 other days in the year, when consumer rights won't have such a high profile. Only when there's a strict system of accountability for supervisory departments will consumers begin to gain their proper rights.

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