China's legislature approves bill ratifying UPU protocol

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), or China's top legislature, on Friday ratified an amendment to the Constitution of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).

The amendment, officially known as the Eighth Additional Protocol, was adopted at the 24th UPU Congress held in Geneva in 2008. It improved the process for non-member countries of the United Nations to join the UPU and also stipulated that member states should ensure that their postal operators abide by the rules set down by the constitution.

According to Ma Junsheng, director-general of the State Post Bureau, ratifying the protocol is in line with the principles of China's law and national interests and will be conducive to the development of China's postal industry and international cooperation in the field of postal services.

The amendments will also apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Macao Special Administrative Region, Ma said.

Ma was previously entrusted by the State Council to brief the NPC Standing Committee on the basic information of the protocol.

The protocol took effect on January 1, 2010, and had been ratified by 22 countries as of the end of last year. The Chinese government signed the protocol with the approval of the State Council.

Amendments to the UPU Constitution, the fundamental act containing the union's original rules, can only be made at congresses and are recorded in an additional protocol. China has ratified all of the previous seven amendments made to the UPU Constitution.