Being a consumer is about choosing, buying, using and enjoying... or not.
 
In a bid to beef up consumer protection, the China Consumers Association called for a greater focus on consumer education during an international forum yesterday in Beijing.
 
Mu Jianhua, standing vice-president and secretary-general of the association, said education should be comprehensive and should emphasize building an advanced consumer culture. As there is a huge difference between cities and the countryside, education needs to be adapted to best suit local environments.
 
"There are a great number of Chinese consumers, most of them are not well-educated and lack knowledge of the law," said Teng Jiacai, director of the consumers right protection bureau of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.
 
According to Teng, since the establishment of the 12315 hotline for customers in 1999, his administration has received more than 2.24 million appeals and helped save more than 4.4 billion yuan (US$483.7 million) for customers through mediation. A total of 1.29 million cases were investigated.
 
Marilena Lazzarini, president of Consumers International, said an unenlightened consumer base is a common phenomenon in developing countries. She said her organization is fighting to include consumer education as a basic of educational systems.
 
She emphasized that schools and parents need to recognize their responsibility to teach children to become wise consumers and realize that kids are being bombarded with advertising messages from an early age.
 
Consumers International, which has a membership of more than 250 organizations in 115 countries, concluded its 2004 council meeting on Monday, the first time it was held in the Chinese mainland since the organization was founded in 1960.
 
Lazzarini said she is trying to have meetings not only in places where the organization is based but also in member countries. "We chose Beijing this time because we are greatly impressed by the achievements made by the China Consumers' Association," she said. "We want to show our appreciation to them and this is also a good learning trip."
 
She said more than one fifth of the world's 6 billion consumers are in China and, due to economic development, consumer protection has become increasingly important.
 
She was amazed by the country's huge annual celebration of International Consumer Rights Day, which falls on March 15. Since 1991 government and media have launched a series of publicity activities around it, publicizing fraudulent items and illegal behavior that have seriously damaged the rights and interests of customers.
 
Lazzarini said other developing countries face new yet similar challenges and China has set a good example for all its partners in the third world.
 
(China Daily October 27, 2004)