A draft of government regulation encountered strong oppugn from eight ordinary citizens in Beijing as the municipal government solicited suggestions to the public. After careful investigation, the Beijing Municipal Government deemed the citizen's opinions reasonable and practical, so the draft was canceled finally.

The draft named "Regulations for supervision and administration of construction by enterprises from other regions in Beijing" was placed on the website of the Legal Office of the Beijing Municipal Government last July. During a two-month period for collecting public opinions, eight citizens wrote to the Legal Office to express their objection to the draft.

The eight citizens stated their reasons for objection in their letters. The opinion stated in a letter from Ge Zhenlin was most representative. He said after China's joining the WTO, making a regulation aiming at enterprises from other regions was discriminatory. The eight citizens hold that market, but not region, should serve as criteria for the government administration. Both local enterprises and enterprises from other regions should be supervised and protected equally. A citizen named Wu Liqun specially reminded the government to protect legal rights of enterprises from other regions in his letter.

The eight citizens' letters were reasonable and convincing, so the Beijing Municipal Government decided not to release the regulation, says Zhou Jidong, Director of Legal Office of Beijing Municipal Government.

(People's Daily April 16, 2004)