Translation: NPCSC Decision on Implementing the Constitutional Oath System (2018 Revision)

全国人民代表大会常务委员会关于实行宪法宣誓制度的决定
Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on Implementing the Constitutional Oath System

(2015年7月1日第十二届全国人民代表大会常务委员会第十五次会议通过 2018年2月24日第十二届全国人民代表大会常务委员会第三十三次会议修订)
(Adopted by the 15th Session of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People’s Congress on July 1, 2015; Revised by the 33rd Session of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People’s Congress on February 24, 2018)

[The following translation is subject to further modifications. Our Blog-wide copyright license applies.]

宪法是国家的根本法,是治国安邦的总章程,具有最高的法律地位、法律权威、法律效力。国家工作人员必须树立宪法意识,恪守宪法原则,弘扬宪法精神,履行宪法使命。为彰显宪法权威,激励和教育国家工作人员忠于宪法、遵守宪法、维护宪法,加强宪法实施,全国人民代表大会常务委员会决定:
The Constitutional is the basic law of the country, is the general charter under which to govern the country, and has the highest legal status, legal authority, and legal force. State employees must establish constitutional awareness, scrupulously abide by constitutional principles, carry forward constitutional spirits, and fulfill the constitutional mission. To demonstrate the authority of the Constitution, to incentivize and educate state employees to be loyal to the Constitution, follow the Constitution, and safeguard the Constitution, and to strengthen the implementation of the Constitution, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress decides:

一、各级人民代表大会及县级以上各级人民代表大会常务委员会选举或者决定任命的国家工作人员,以及各级人民政府、监察委员会、人民法院、人民检察院任命的国家工作人员,在就职时应当公开进行宪法宣誓。
1. State employees elected by or appointed as decided by the people’s congresses at all levels and the standing committees of the people’s congresses at or above the county level, as well as state employees appointed by the people’s governments, supervision commissions, people’s courts, and people’s procuratorates at all levels, shall publicly swear the constitutional oath when taking office.

二、宣誓誓词如下:
我宣誓:忠于中华人民共和国宪法,维护宪法权威,履行法定职责,忠于祖国、忠于人民,恪尽职守、廉洁奉公,接受人民监督,为建设富强民主文明和谐美丽的社会主义现代化强国努力奋斗!
2. The oath is as follows:
I pledge to be loyal to the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, to safeguard the authority of the Constitution, to perform legally prescribed duties, to be loyal to the motherland and to the people, to be dedicated to my duties, to have integrity and serve the public interest, to accept supervision by the people, and to make arduous efforts to build a strong modern socialist country that is prosperous, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful!

三、全国人民代表大会选举或者决定任命的中华人民共和国主席、副主席,全国人民代表大会常务委员会委员长、副委员长、秘书长、委员,国务院总理、副总理、国务委员、各部部长、各委员会主任、中国人民银行行长、审计长、秘书长,中华人民共和国中央军事委员会主席、副主席、委员,国家监察委员会主任,最高人民法院院长,最高人民检察院检察长,以及全国人民代表大会专门委员会主任委员、副主任委员、委员等,在依照法定程序产生后,进行宪法宣誓。宣誓仪式由全国人民代表大会会议主席团组织。
3. The President and Vice President of the People’s Republic of China; the Chairperson, Vice Chairpersons, Secretary General, and members of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress; the Premier, Vice Premiers, State Councilors, ministers of all ministries, directors of all commissions, governor of the People’s Bank of China, Auditor General, and Secretary General of the State Council; the Chairperson, Vice Chairpersons, and members of the Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China; the Chairperson of the State Supervision Commission[1]; the President of the Supreme People’s Court; the Procurator General of the Supreme People’s Procuratoate, as well as the chairpersons, vice chairpersons, and members of the special committees of the National People’s Congress and such other persons who are elected by or appointed as decided by the National People’s Congress, after being selected in accordance with legally prescribed procedures, are to swear the constitutional oath. The oath-taking ceremonies are to be organized by the Presidium of the session of the National People’s Congress.

四、在全国人民代表大会闭会期间,全国人民代表大会常务委员会任命或者决定任命的全国人民代表大会专门委员会个别副主任委员、委员,国务院部长、委员会主任、中国人民银行行长、审计长、秘书长,中华人民共和国中央军事委员会副主席、委员,在依照法定程序产生后,进行宪法宣誓。宣誓仪式由全国人民代表大会常务委员会委员长会议组织。
4. When the National People’s Congress is not in session, the individual vice chairpersons or members of the special committees of the National People’s Congress; the ministers of ministries, directors of commissions, governor of the People’s Bank of China, Auditor General, Secretary General of the State Council; and the Vice Chairpersons or members of the Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China, who are appointed or appointed as decided[2] by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, after being selected in accordance with legally prescribed procedures, are to swear the constitutional oath. The oath-taking ceremonies are to be organized by the Council of Chairmen of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.

五、全国人民代表大会常务委员会任命的全国人民代表大会常务委员会副秘书长,全国人民代表大会常务委员会工作委员会主任、副主任、委员,全国人民代表大会常务委员会代表资格审查委员会主任委员、副主任委员、委员等,在依照法定程序产生后,进行宪法宣誓。宣誓仪式由全国人民代表大会常务委员会委员长会议组织。
5. The deputy Secretaries General of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress; the directors, deputy directors, and members of the working commissions of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress; the chairperson, vice chairpersons, and members of the Delegates Credentials Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress; and such other persons who are appointed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, after being selected in accordance with legally prescribed procedures, are to swear the constitutional oath. The oath-taking ceremonies are to be organized by the Council of Chairmen of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.

六、全国人民代表大会常务委员会任命或者决定任命的国家监察委员会副主任、委员,最高人民法院副院长、审判委员会委员、庭长、副庭长、审判员和军事法院院长,最高人民检察院副检察长、检察委员会委员、检察员和军事检察院检察长,中华人民共和国驻外全权代表,在依照法定程序产生后,进行宪法宣誓。宣誓仪式由国家监察委员会、最高人民法院、最高人民检察院、外交部分别组织。
6. The Vice Chairpersons and members of the State Supervision Commission; the Vice Presidents, members of the Adjudication Committee, division chiefs, deputy division chiefs, and adjudicators of the Supreme People’s Court, and the President of the Military Court; the deputy Procurators General, members of the Procuratorial Committee, and procurators of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, and the Procurator General of the Military Procuratorate; and the overseas plenipotentiary representatives of the People’s Republic of China, who are appointed or appointed as decided by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, after being selected in accordance with legally prescribed procedures, are to swear the constitutional oath. The oath-taking ceremonies are to be respectively organized by the State Supervision Commission, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

七、国务院及其各部门、国家监察委员会、最高人民法院、最高人民检察院任命的国家工作人员,在就职时进行宪法宣誓。宣誓仪式由任命机关组织。
7. State employees appointed by the State Council and its various departments, the State Supervision Commission, the Supreme People’s Court, and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate are to swear the constitutional oath upon taking office. The oath-taking ceremonies are to be organized by the appointing organs.

八、宣誓仪式根据情况,可以采取单独宣誓或者集体宣誓的形式。单独宣誓时,宣誓人应当左手抚按《中华人民共和国宪法》,右手举拳,诵读誓词。集体宣誓时,由一人领誓,领誓人左手抚按《中华人民共和国宪法》,右手举拳,领诵誓词;其他宣誓人整齐排列,右手举拳,跟诵誓词。
宣誓场所应当庄重、严肃,悬挂中华人民共和国国旗或者国徽。宣誓仪式应当奏唱中华人民共和国国歌。
负责组织宣誓仪式的机关,可以根据本决定并结合实际情况,对宣誓的具体事项作出规定。
8. Based on the situations, the oath-taking ceremonies may take the form of individual or group oath-taking. When swearing the oath alone, the oath-taker shall recite the oath with the left land resting on a Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the right hand raised in a fist. When the oath is sworn as a group, one person shall lead the oath-taking, and the leading oath-taker is to recite the oath with the left hand resting on a Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the right hand raised in a fist; the other oath-takers shall be orderly arranged in rows, repeating the oath with their rights hands raised in fists.
The places where the oath is sworn shall be solemn and serious and shall hang the National Flag or the National Emblem of the People’s Republic China. At the oath-taking ceremonies the National Anthem of the People’s Republic of China shall be played and sung.
Organs in charge of organizing the oath-taking ceremonies may, in accordance with this Decision and based on the actual situations, make provisions for specific matters of the oath-taking.

九、地方各级人民代表大会及县级以上地方各级人民代表大会常务委员会选举或者决定任命的国家工作人员,以及地方各级人民政府、监察委员会、人民法院、人民检察院任命的国家工作人员,在依照法定程序产生后,进行宪法宣誓。宣誓的具体组织办法由省、自治区、直辖市人民代表大会常务委员会参照本决定制定,报全国人民代表大会常务委员会备案。
9. State employees elected or appointed as decided by local people’s congresses at all levels and the standing committees of the local people’s congresses at or above the county level, as well as state employees appointed by local people’s governments, supervision commissions, people’s courts, and people’s procuratorates at all levels, after being selected in accordance with legally prescribed procedures, are to swear the constitutional oath. The specific measures on organizing the oath-taking are to be formulated by the standing committees of the people’s congresses of the provinces, autonomous regions, and directly governed municipalities with reference to this Decision, and are to be filed with the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress for recording.

十、本决定自2018年3月12日起施行。
10. This Decision takes effect on March 12, 2018.[3]


[1] Under the draft Supervision Law, the national supervision commission is named the Supervision Commission of the People’s Republic of China (中华人民共和国监察委员会). This Decision suggests that the entity’s name will be changed to State Supervision Commission (国家监察委员会).

[2] Chinese law distinguishes between situations where the NPCSC “appoints” (任命) state employees and where it “decides to appoint” (决定任命) state employees. The latter group of state employees can take office only after being formally appointed by the President of the People’s Republic of China via presidential orders.

[3] This effective date suggests that during the upcoming NPC session, which starts on March 5, the first personnel decision will not made be until March 12.


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