2020 NPC Session: Agenda and Daily Schedule

On Friday, May 22, the 2020 NPC session released its agenda and daily schedule of meetings. The Session will open on the morning of Friday, May 22 and close on the afternoon of Thursday, May 28, lasting a total of seven days, the shortest since 1978. The session has not released a full schedule of press conferences; we will update this post when new press conferences are announced. All times below are in Beijing Time (UTC +8:00).

The agenda contains the following eight items:

  1. Deliberate the Government Work Report;
  2. Review a report on the execution of the 2019 National Economic and Social Development Plan (“Development Plan”) and on the draft 2020 Development Plan, as well a the draft 2020 Development Plan;
  3. Review a report on the execution of the 2019 Central and Local Budgets (“Budgets”) and on the draft 2020 Budgets, as well as the draft 2020 Budgets;
  4. Deliberate the draft Civil Code [民法典];
  5. Deliberate the draft Decision on Establishing and Improving the Legal Systems and Implementation Mechanisms for Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region [关于建立健全香港特别行政区维护国家安全的法律制度和执行机制的决定] (“Hong Kong Decision“);
  6. Deliberate the work report of the NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC);
  7. Deliberate the work report of the Supreme People’s Court (SPC);
  8. Deliberate the work report of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP);
  9. Confirm the NPCSC’s acceptance of Feng Zhonghua’s resignation as an NPCSC member.

The Session will hold the following three plenary meetings:

  • May 22 (a.m.): hear the Government Work Report; review the report on Development Plans; review the report on Budgets; hear an explanation of the draft Civil Code; and hear an explanation of the draft Hong Kong Decision.
  • May 25 (p.m.): hear the NPCSC’s, the SPC’s, and the SPP’s work reports.
  • May 28 (p.m.): vote on all resolutions, the draft Civil Code, and the draft Hong Kong Decision.

A more detailed description of the Session’s daily schedule follows. This year, the delegates will mostly meet in small groups, not as delegations, likely as an prophylactic measure. In addition, no intrasession recess is scheduled this year for the NPC Constitution and Law Committee to revise the legislative bills. We will update this schedule with links to all press conferences throughout the Session.

Friday, May 22

9 a.m. (1st Plenary Meeting): Hear the Government Work Report from Li Keqiang (Premier); review the report on Development Plans; review the report on Budgets; and hear the explanations of the draft Civil Code and the draft Hong Kong Decision from Wang Chen (NPCSC Vice Chairman)
3 p.m.: Delegates deliberate the Government Work Report as delegations

Saturday, May 23

9 a.m.: Delegates deliberate the Government Work Report in small groups
3 p.m.: Delegates review the report on Development Plans and the draft Development Plan, as well as the report on Budgets and the draft Budget, in small groups

Sunday, May 24

9 a.m.: Delegates review the report on Development Plans and the draft Development Plan, as well as the report on Budgets and the draft Budget, in small groups
3 p.m.: Delegates deliberate the draft Civil Code in small groups

🎙3 p.m.: China’s foreign policy and foreign relations
Wang Yi, State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs

Monday, May 25

9 a.m.: Delegates review the draft Civil Code and the draft Hong Kong Decision in small groups
3 p.m. (2nd Plenary Meeting): Hear the NPCSC’s work report from Li Zhanshu (NPCSC Chairman); hear the SPC’s work report from Zhou Qiang (SPC President); and hear the SPP’s work report from Zhang Jun (SPP Chief Procurator)

Tuesday, May 26

9 a.m.: Delegates deliberate the NPCSC’s work report in small groups
3 p.m.: Delegates deliberate a revised version of the draft Civil Code, a revised version of the draft Hong Kong Decision, the SPC’s work report, and the SPP’s work report in small groups

Wednesday, May 27

9 a.m.: Delegates deliberate the SPC’s work report and the SPP’s work report in small groups
3 p.m.: Delegates deliberate draft resolutions on the Government Work Report, Development Plans, and Budgets in small groups

Thursday, May 28

9 a.m.: Delegates deliberate, in small groups, the draft resolutions on the Government Work Report, Development Plans, Budgets, the NPCSC’s, the SPC’s, and the SPP’s work reports; the voting versions of the draft Civil Code and the draft Hong Kong Decision; and the NPCSC’s acceptance of Feng Zhonghua’s resignation
3 p.m. (3rd Plenary Meeting): Vote on all resolutions, the decision to confirm the NPCSC’s acceptance of Feng’s resignation, the draft Civil Code, and the draft Hong Kong Decision.

🎙4 p.m.: Q&A with the Premier
Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council


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