China's annual Consumers' Day falls on March 15 and university student volunteers are playing an important part in protecting consumer rights.

Liu Ying, a law student from a top Chinese University, Tsinghua, is a volunteer consultant responsible for answering consumers' questions about their rights.

Liu and her schoolmates have provided professional advice for 2,900 people in a locally based consumer appeal and legal assistance center, established by the Haidian District Consumers' Association (HDCA) and the Tsinghua Law School in September 2000.

Statistics show that these student volunteers have helped to settle 135 consumer disputes and saved consumers 390,000 yuan.

Beijing Municipal Consumers' Association will establish more legal assistance centers in the city and advise the China Consumers' Association to spread the practice nationwide, says HDCA secretary-general Lu Zhiqing.

The student volunteers, who are studying for a bachelor or master degree in law, may inform the consumers with problems of their legitimate rights, draft legal documents on behalf of consumers or even arrange litigation, Lu said.

"Thanks to the efforts of these students, some of whom have already passed the national bar test, 98 percent of the cases have been settled successfully," Lu said.

Working in the center is listed as a course at Tsinghua law school. Many Tsinghua law students have applied to serve in the center but only 30 percent of applicants are accepted, according to John Smagula, an American professor currently working at Tsinghua.

(Xinhua News Agency March 14, 2002)