If you are an overseas visitor in Beijing and happen to have a
query about Chinese laws, answers are now just one call away.
Starting from June 17, an English-language legal service hotline
is available for foreigners in the Chinese capital.
According to sources with the Beijing Bureau of Justice,
English-speakers should dial 1600148 and then follow the
instruction for legal consultations provided in English.
Follow-up legal services can also be arranged for foreigners if
they find the consultation satisfactory.
"We hope that the English-language hotline will provide
foreigners in Beijing with effective legal help," said Deng
Jiansheng, who is responsible for the hotline. "We hope that our
efforts will make them feel at home during their stay in
Beijing."
Sixteen lawyers who Deng's bureau said have " high caliber
(experience) in law and are fluent in oral English" will be at the
other end of the hotline to answer questions. More than half of
them have doctorates or master's degrees.
The 1600148 hotline is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday
through Friday. The number remains a nationwide hotline where
people can get free and handy legal advice in Chinese.
Statistics from the Beijing Bureau of Justice indicate that some
590,000 people have called the hotline for legal advice in the
three years since it was launched in the capital in June, 1999.
With numerous foreign missions and international companies,
Beijing has the largest foreign population among the cities in the
country. The foreign population is expected to increase with a more
open market as a result of China's entry into the World Trade
Organization and Beijing's preparations for hosting the 2008
Olympic Games.
However, Deng said it is still unclear how large the demand for
the English service will be.
(China Daily June 17, 2002)