China will reshuffle the existing rules and working procedure of petition departments in line with a new regulation on handling petition work, said a senior official Tuesday.

Wang Gang, alternative member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, urged officials to fully adhere to the new rules, especially by creating a smoother channel to receive complaints, giving timely responses, introducing new methods to handle complaints and pushing the administrations to solve the problems.

China publicized revised regulations on petitions on Jan. 17 this year, aiming to strengthen the protection of petitioners' rights. The revised regulations will take effect on May 1.

The country will use the new regulations as a chance to solve problems in petition work and better handle complaints from the people, Wang said.

He also called on a widespread drive to publicize the new regulation, not only among officials with petition departments but also the public.

(Xinhua News Agency March 2, 2005)