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)