Month: September 2019

NPC Calendar: October 2019

The revised People’s Courts Organic Law [人民法院组织法] and revised People’s Procuratorates Organic Law [人民检察院组织法] take effect on October 1.

The Communist Party’s 19th Central Committee will convene for its fourth plenum sometime this month to discuss issues on “upholding and improving the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and advancing the modernization of China’s system and capacity for governance.” We will cover the plenum’s expected decision on these issues to the extent it has implications for the NPC.

The 13th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) is expected to convene for its 14th session in late October. The Council of Chairpersons is expected to meet in mid-October to decide on the agenda and dates of the session.

The draft amendment to the Patent Law [专利法] is likely to return for further review. The draft Basic Healthcare and Health Promotion Law [基本医疗卫生与健康促进法] and draft Encryption Law [密码法] will probably also return for further review. The upcoming NPCSC session may additionally consider the following bills:

  • draft Criminal Law Amendment (XI) [刑法修正案（十一）];
  • draft revision to the Minors Protection Law [未成年人保护法]; and
  • draft revision to the Law on the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency [预防未成年人犯罪法].

October 31 marks the 30th anniversary of the passage and entry into force of the Assembles, Processions, and Demonstrations Law [集会游行示威法]—the immediate legislative response to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

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Law Explainer: China’s State Medals and State Honorary Titles (UPDATED)

UPDATE (Sept. 17, 2019): On Tuesday, the NPCSC unanimously approved a decision conferring State honors on 42 individuals: 8 “Medal of the Republic” recipients, 6 “Medal of Friendship” recipients, and 28 recipients of various State honorary titles. In a presidential order dated the same day, Xi Jinping formally conferred the honors on their recipients.

Notable recipients of the Medal of the Republic include Tu Youyou, 2015 Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine; and Yuan Longping, known in China as the “Father of Hybrid Rice.” The recipients of State honorary titles include individuals who have made great contributions to science, art, and education, among other fields, as well as those who are recognized as “heroes” or “role models” for their personal feats. Of note, Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong’s first Chief Executive, was given the State honorary title of “Outstanding Contributor to ‘One Country, Two Systems'” [“一国两制”杰出贡献者]. Among the Medal of Friendship recipients are current Cuban leader Raúl Castro and former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

Finally, some stats. Just over a quarter (11) of the recipients are female. Among the 36 Chinese citizen recipients, only 7 are ethnic minorities and all but 3 are members of the Communist Party. Ten recipients have been awarded the honors posthumously.

In line with our earlier prediction, the NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) will convene for a one-day special session on September 17, the Council of Chairpersons decided on Tuesday. The sole item on the special session’s agenda is a draft decision to confer State honors and honorary titles, presumably on this list of 36 nominees, to celebrate the 70th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic. Below we briefly overview the history of China’s State honors system and the current legal scheme. We will update this post once the conferral decision is adopted next week.

Continue reading “Law Explainer: China’s State Medals and State Honorary Titles (UPDATED)” →