Deputy-Director Zhou Xin of the Beijing Judicial Bureau said the rules have been set up as evidence of the government's intention to increase the transparency and efficiency of the center.

According to the rules, the center's staff is prohibited from disclosing the identity of its clients and from seeking any other type of gain from them.

In addition, the center intends to conduct unscheduled spot-checks on every assistance case designated by the People's Court of Beijing Municipality to ensure their proper handling.

Moreover, home visits will be made to disabled and elderly clients.

Lawyers and staff who violate the new regulations will be subject to punishment, said Zhou.

Statistics from the Beijing Judicial Bureau show that the number of legal assistance cases in Beijing rose 31.4 percent, numbering 2,853 in 2002.

A total of 180,000 cases were administered nationwide in 2001, up 3 percent from 2000.

Incomplete figures from the Ministry of Justice show that in mid-2002, China's legal assistance institutions numbered 2,300, with a total staff of 8,000, up 44 percent from 2000.

The country's first pilot legal aid program was launched in 1995, and the first formal statement on the system was made in the amended Criminal Procedure Law and in the Law on Lawyers in 1996.

(Xinhua News Agency March 19, 2003)