China's top legislature on Sunday read for the second time the
draft emergency response law which bans fabrication and spread of
false information on accidents and disasters and requires
government to provide accurate and timely information.
The draft emergency response law was on Sunday submitted to the
28th session of the Standing Committee of the National People's
Congress (NPC), or China's top legislature, for the second
reading.
The draft said "any units or individuals are prohibited from
fabricating or spreading false information regarding emergencies
and government's efforts to cope with emergencies."
The draft said "people's governments which take charge of
emergencies should provide unified, accurate and timely information
on the emergencies and its development."
The draft emergency response law was submitted for first review
in June 2006.
The top legislature deliberated draft amendments to the Law on
Conserving Energy, in an effort to improve energy efficiency and
cut pollution emission, and the Law on Lawyer which aims to make
lawyers easier to meet criminal suspects, obtain evidences, improve
their moral standards and allow them to open individual law
firms.
Under the 1996-2010 five-year plan, China pledged to cut its
energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 20
percent, or 4 percent each year. But the consumption actually fell
by just 1.23 percent last year.
"We are confronted with many problems and difficulties in
attaining the objective in consequence of the fact that energy
consumption in some regions and industries keeps rising," Fu
Zhihuan, Chairman of the Financial and Economic Committee with the
National People's Congress (NPC), told lawmakers on Sunday's
session.
(Xinhua News Agency June 24, 2007)