Chinese local council rejects gov`t report for first time

For the first time in the constitutional history of Communist China, the People`s Congress of Shenyang in Liaoning province refused to accept the annual report of its local administration Wednesday. The performance report was presented at the 5-day city council meeting. Voting on the report for 2000, the council on the last day of the session said nay to a report from the municipal people`s court (218 in favor and 162 against, thus falling short of the majority of 474 representatives) while narrowly approving a report by the procuratorate.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency said the disapproval was a protest against allegedly unfair court rulings on a number corruption cases last year. A member of congress said that some leaders of the court needed to be taken to task for the irregularities plaguing the court.

The rejection of the local court`s report is expected to have a decisive impact on similar upcoming legislative meetings in the rest of the province and also the People`s National Congress to take be held in Beijing in early March. The bureaucratic hierarchy of Shenyang fell into disgrace last year after the mayor, vice mayor, vice president of its political consultative council, chief of the procuratorate and deputy director of the court were dismissed for their involvement in graft scandals and other irregularities.

Lee Jong-Hwan ljhzip@donga.com