More Consumer Rights in China: Privacy and Cool-Down Periods

Reports indicate that China’s fifteen-year-old Consumer Rights Protection Law will undergo serious revisions this year. Liu Junhai, Vice Director of the China Consumers’ Association, noted in a June 15 interview with China’s Xinhua News Agency that changes are necessary to address new issues facing consumers in China.

The current Consumer Protection Law does not recognize an independent right to privacy. Mr. Liu noted that changes in contemporary society necessitated providing protections for individual privacy, and suggested that amendments would likely include provisions on a product recall system and the establishment of a cool-down period after major purchases, such as cars and houses.