Addressing a national conference on the wider use of information technology by legislatures at various levels, Li said improved contacts between China's legislatures and the general public will help legislators make a better job of drafting laws and the supervision of law enforcement.

Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People'sCongress (NPC), the country's top legislature, said important draft laws have been published in newspapers in recent years to solicit public comment.

He said major draft laws should also be made available on the Internet in the future to solicit public comment in a faster and easier way.

Legislators may also be able to learn about the effects of lawsthrough the network, said Li.

He called for more efforts to use information technology in everyday work of the legislatures, including handling proposals and bills and complaints from the general public.

Li said China should step up efforts to formulate laws and regulations on information technology-related security system.

The conference was convened by the general office of the NPC Standing Committee to discuss and formulate an outline of the wider application of information technology among legislative bodies.

(Xinhua News Agency July 6, 2002)