More than 100,000 lawyers in China have played an increasingly vital role in the country's development and retrieved about 500 billion yuan (some 60 billion US dollars) in economic losses for the country in the past three years through handling economic cases and offering advises on major projects in economic construction.

The information was released at the sixth national lawyer congress, which opened in Beijing Tuesday.

Gao Zongze, head of the National Association of Lawyer, said that lawyers have become an indispensable and important force in China's economic construction. Lawyers have played a crucial role in policy-making and supervision in financial, securities and futures markets.

Lawyers also have vigorously pushed forward the country's legal development. During the past three years, Chinese lawyers have been involved in the deliberation of more than 50 laws and regulations, such as the Administrative Licensing Law, Property Law, Lawyer Law and Regulation on Legal Aid.

Currently, 1,656 lawyers serve as deputies to the People's Congress at various levels and members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and local committees of CPPCC at different levels. They have submitted several thousand motions, well reflecting the voices from people of all walks of life throughout China.

Since the promulgation on the Regulation on Legal Aid on September 1, 2003, Chinese lawyers have offered legal aid in more than 240,000 cases, helping a large number of citizens in need or trouble find justice.

Source: Xinhua