Legislation

There are 231 laws currently in force in China.

-- The NPC Standing Committee enacted the Law on State-Owned Assets in Enterprises, the Law on Food Safety, the seventh amendment to the Criminal Law, and the Law to Promote a Circular Economy and revised the Law on Protecting Against and Mitigating Earthquake Disasters, the Law on Security for Disabled Persons, the Fire Protection Law, the Insurance Law and the Patent Law.

-- The Chairperson's Council decided that in principle, all draft laws under deliberation by the Standing Committee should be released to the public on www.npc.gov.cn, that major bills should also be published by major national media organizations to solicit opinions from the general public, and that this should become common practice.

Oversight

-- The NPC Standing Committee heard and deliberated State Council's report on counteracting the severe snow and ice storms in part of the south, on carrying out post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction, the reports on the final central government budget for 2007, on auditing work and on plan implementation, the Supreme People's Court's report on improving criminal trial work and the Supreme People's Procuratorate's report on strengthening oversight for criminal trials

-- The NPC Standing Committee received a total of 475 normative documents to be filed and handled 86 suggestions from ordinary individuals and organizations concerning examination work.

-- In the year to come, the NPC Standing Committee should improve oversight of economic work. the handling of issues affecting people's wellbeing.

Enabling deputies to play their role

-- The special committees have handled all the 462 proposals that the Presidium of the last NPC session assigned to them. Eight laws that came up in 26 proposals have been adopted by the Standing Committee. Deliberations are being conducted on four draft laws that were brought up in 50 proposals, and 38 legislative items listed in 126 proposals have been included in the legislative plan.

-- A total of 6,279 suggestions were made by the deputies during the last NPC session, and the problems mentioned in 4,489, or 71.5%, of them have been resolved or will be resolved according to plan.

Foreign contacts

-- The NPC Standing Committee carried out various forms of dialogue with the parliaments of the United Kingdom, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Egypt, as well as with the European Parliament. In response to provocations from the congresses of some countries concerning the Taiwan and Tibet questions, the NPC Standing Committee engaged in fierce struggle and defended China's core interests through declarations from the chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

-- The NPC Standing Committee actively took part in the activities organized by international and regional parliamentary organizations and successfully hosted the fifth Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting.