What the consumer protection law means for foreign businesses

In 1993, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress promulgated the current PRC Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Customers (中华人民共和国消费者权益保护法) (Consumer Protection Law). After serving for nearly 20 years, some provisions of the Consumer Protection Law have become outdated due to changes in the Chinese consumer market and the economy. In order to address the new issues that have emerged over the past two decades, on October 25 2013, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress issued the Decision on Amending the PRC Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Consumers (关于修改《中华人民共和国消费者权益保护法》的决定) (Decision). This Decision will come into effect on March 15 2014, which is Consumer Protection Day.