New Laws, Regulations That Go into Effect in China on September 1 
 
A series of new laws and regulations, ranging from compulsory education to wildlife protection which will impact the daily life of people and the interests of the country, come into effect in China on Friday, September 1. 
The new regulations include:

-- Free compulsory education ensured

"Equal compulsory education for children in cities and the countryside" was for the first time written into the newly-revised Compulsory Education Law.

The revised law aims to give children in both cities and the countryside nine years of free compulsory education.

The costs will be jointly covered by the central and local governments which are required to put the expenditure into their budgets.

-- Reservoir compensation funds guaranteed

The State Council's Subsidy Policies for People Who Were Relocated to Make Way for Dams and Reservoirs becomes effective on September 1.

The central government will spend more than 13 billion yuan (US$1.63 billion) every year subsidizing 22 million people who were moved to make room for water reservoirs created by dams. The money will be raised by increasing power bills by 0.62 cents per kilowatt hour.

China has built more than 3,000 large and medium-sized dams since 1949 for flood control, electricity generation, irrigation and water supply.

-- Controls on explosives tightened

China issued stricter new controls and regulations on the civilian use and storage of explosives after a series of accidental explosions in recent years.

The government will also establish a database to monitor all transactions and transport of explosives.

All manufacturers, vendors and users are to establish a registration system that ensures the quantities, type and the destination of explosives are entered into the government's database.

-- Import, export of endangered species banned

China has banned the import and export of endangered species of wild fauna and flora.

The regulation will protect and regulate the trade of wild animals and vegetation, and comply with the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

-- Protection of mapping data

The Mapping Management Regulation states that important mapping data must only be released by the government.

-- Prohibition of fraud in financial aid to foreign countries

The Ministry of Commerce's "Foreign Aid Guidebook" attempts to remove corruption from the management of relief materials and financial aid destined for foreign countries.

No department or agency will be allowed to seek illegitimate gains through collusion with bidding companies, it said.

The ministry will evaluate each foreign aid project and penalize those who violate the regulation. The penalty includes fines of 30,000 yuan (US$3,750).

(Xinhua News Agency August 31, 2006)