China's top legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), plans to work on a number of new laws in 2004, including the law on bankruptcy for enterprises of all sectors of the economy and the law on the state of emergency, according to NPC Chairman Wu Bangguo.

Meanwhile, China's top legislature will amend a number of existing laws such as foreign trade law, company law, and epidemic prevention and control law.

NPC Chairman Wu Bangguo told the ongoing NPC annual session Wednesday that the legislature will adhered to the scientific approach to development and the principle of seeking a balanced development of both urban and rural areas, among different regions, economic and social progress, man and nature, and domestic development and opening up to the outside world in making laws associated with economic and social development.

Reviewing the achievements in legislative work in his work report on behalf of the NPC standing committee, he said that the Standing Committee approved the draft of the amendments to the Constitution, worked out a five-year plan for legislative work, discussed 12 draft laws and approved 10 over the past year.

(Xinhua News Agency March 10, 2004)