Chinese legislators at the 28th meeting of the National People' s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, which ended Saturday afternoon, agreed that various levels of government should use public funds more wisely, especially with the expansion of the market economy.

The approved law would regulate procedures for spending public money, legislators said.

Meanwhile, the bi-monthly meeting also passed four other laws on small and medium-sized enterprise promotion, work safety, science and technology popularization, and clean production.

The work safety codes outlaw malfeasance and any obvious or hidden threat to workers' lives in any work place. A spate of disastrous accidents recently have resulted in high casualties and economic losses.

In addition, the legislators agreed that the members of the first and incumbent Committee of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the NPC Standing Committee should continue their duty.

The meeting also approved two supplemental regulations on election meetings for deputies to the 10th NPC from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

The legislators also ratified the documents on the "Worst Forms of Child Labor Convention 1999" which was approved by the 87th International Labor Conference.

(China Daily July 1, 2002)