The Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) commenced its 19th session of the 14th legislature in Beijing on Monday, with Chairman Zhao Leji presiding over the inaugural plenary meeting at the Great Hall of the People. The session features an extensive legislative agenda addressing multiple sectors of national governance and international cooperation.
Lawmakers engaged in thorough deliberations on several pivotal draft laws, including a comprehensive environmental code and legislation focused on promoting ethnic unity and progress. The agenda further encompasses draft laws concerning national development planning, hazardous chemicals safety management, state-owned assets oversight, childcare services enhancement, and Antarctic activities and environmental protection.
The committee examined proposed revisions to multiple existing statutes, including the fisheries law, civil aviation law, regulations governing standard spoken and written Chinese language, foreign trade law, banking supervision and regulation law, and trademark law. These revisions aim to modernize legal frameworks in response to evolving economic and social requirements.
Additional critical items under consideration include a bill proposing interpretations of specific provisions within the criminal procedure law and a draft decision regarding the convocation of the fourth session of the 14th NPC. The session also addressed reports on deputy qualifications and various personnel-related matters.
Chairman Zhao subsequently participated in the session’s second plenary meeting, where legislators received multiple reports including inspection findings on the implementation of the energy conservation law and circular economy promotion law. Additionally, lawmakers reviewed a comprehensive report detailing rectification measures addressing issues identified during the audit of 2024 central budget implementation and other fiscal revenue and expenditure matters.