China’s highest legislative body is set to advance a broad slate of legislative updates during its upcoming plenary session, with key priorities including strengthened rehabilitation support for young offenders and targeted progress on new and revised laws in the financial and foreign-related sectors, a senior official has confirmed.
Shi Chunfeng, spokesperson for the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC), China’s top legislature, outlined the legislative agenda during a Friday news conference. The four-day session is scheduled to run from April 27 to 30 in Beijing, where the draft revision to the Prison Law will receive its scheduled review.
Central to the proposed Prison Law amendments is a reinforced commitment to boosting psychological rehabilitation services for juvenile offenders and creating smoother pathways for their reintegration into society. The draft also mandates expanded and improved rehabilitation and education programs for all incarcerated people, while requiring prosecutorial bodies to strengthen oversight over off-prison sentence execution, sentence commutation applications, and parole approvals.
To enhance transparency and standardization in prison operations, the draft revision introduces clear binding rules governing the professional conduct of prison staff. These rules cover key controversial areas including the appropriate use of restraint devices and firearms, as well as formalized protocols for inmate meetings with legal counsel and family members.
Beyond the Prison Law revision, the upcoming session will also see first-round reviews of draft amendments to four existing laws: the Law on State-owned Assets of Enterprises, the Agriculture Law, the National Defense Mobilization Law, and the Water Law. Lawmakers will also advance second-stage deliberations on new legislative proposals covering social assistance, healthcare security, and farmland protection and quality improvement.
Looking ahead to the full 2026 legislative cycle, Shi highlighted that financial regulation and foreign-related legal frameworks stand out as core focus areas for the year’s legislative work.
“Plans are currently underway to draft a dedicated cross-border anti-corruption law and new legislation to protect the legitimate rights and interests of overseas Chinese nationals, with a key emphasis on strengthening foreign-related clauses across multiple relevant domestic laws,” Shi stated.
He added that new legislative measures are also being planned to underpin the stable development of China’s financial sector, including possible targeted revisions to the Banking Supervision and Administration Law and the People’s Bank of China Law.