Changhao Wei

Changhao Wei is the founder, manager, and editor of NPC Observer. He is a Fellow at the Paul Tsai China Center of Yale Law School, where he focuses on China’s legislative process and constitutional enforcement mechanisms. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School, and a bachelor’s degree in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

NPC Calendar: August 2026

The Ecological and Environmental Code [生态环境法典] (adopted Mar. 12, 2026) takes effect on August 15.

The 14th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) will convene for its 24th session in late August. The Council of Chairpersons is expected to meet in mid-August to decide on the agenda and dates of the session.

The session is expected to review the draft revision to the Road Traffic Safety Law [道路交通安全法] that was approved by the State Council on June 11.

In addition, one or more of the following pending bills are likely to return for further review:

Finally, the session may also consider one or more bills that the NPCSC has tentatively scheduled for an initial review in 2026.

NPC Calendar: July 2026

The following laws take effect on July 1:

The NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) is seeking public comment on the following bills through July 25:

The NPCSC will meet for its next regularly scheduled session in late August.

Chinese Legislature Seeks Public Comment on 8 Bills: Financial Regulation, Procuratorate-Initiated Public Interest Litigation, Procurement Reform & More

Photo by auris (stock.adobe.com)

China’s national legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC), is soliciting public comment on the following eight bills through July 25, 2026.

The drafts are available in Chinese only; English translations will be provided if available. The explanatory documents are also in Chinese and compiled in a single PDF; the links in the table below take you directly to the corresponding pages in the PDF. 🆚 indicates that a comparison chart is available for the draft at issue, whether included in the PDF itself or provided via a separate link.

Continue reading “Chinese Legislature Seeks Public Comment on 8 Bills: Financial Regulation, Procuratorate-Initiated Public Interest Litigation, Procurement Reform & More” →

NPCSC Session Watch: Finance Law, Central Bank Reform, Procurement & Trademarks

UPDATE (June 23, 2026): According to the official readout of the session’s opening meeting, the State Council also submitted a draft amendment to the Lawyers Law [律师法]. The amendment appears primarily intended to codify a pilot program authorized by the NPCSC that allows eligible lawyers licensed in Hong Kong or Macao to practice mainland law within the Greater Bay Area (subject to various limitations). The pilot is due to expire on October 5; on Tuesday, the NPCSC also heard the State Council’s report on the pilot.

According to a brief summary published by Xinhua, the amendment would additionally address issues including “Party building within the legal profession, the full coverage of legal defense by lawyers in criminal cases, the encouragement of lawyers’ participation in public-interest legal services, and the regulation of lawyers’ professional conduct.” Yet, because this bill is styled as an “amendment” [修正], it is unlikely to be the comprehensive “revision” [修订] contemplated by the State Council’s 2026 legislative plan. Although the NPCSC could approve the bill on Friday, June 26, we believe a second and final review in late August (before the pilot expires) is more likely. The scope of the amendment will become clear once a draft is released for public comment later this week.

The readout also confirms that the NPCSC will approve the draft revision to the Trademark Law [商标法] and the draft amendment to the Certified Public Accountants Law [注册会计师法] on Friday.

UPDATE (June 26, 2026): The NPCSC approved the revision to the Trademark Law and the amendment to the Certified Public Accountants Law; both will take effect on January 1, 2027. The NPCSC also adopted the decision authorizing Hong Kong to exercise jurisdiction over the Hong Kong side of the redeveloped Huanggang Port.

Former head office of the People’s Bank of China in Beijing. Photo by Eagle (stock.adobe.com).

China’s top legislature, the 14th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC), will convene for its 23rd session from June 23 to 26, the Council of Chairpersons decided on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. According to the agenda proposed by the Council, the session will consider ten legislative bills and four oversight reports, among other business. As usual, we preview the session’s legislative agenda below.

Continue reading “NPCSC Session Watch: Finance Law, Central Bank Reform, Procurement & Trademarks” →

NPC Calendar: June 2026

The 14th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) will convene for its 23rd session in late June. The Council of Chairpersons is expected to meet in mid-June to decide on the agenda and dates of the session.

The session is expected to review the draft Financial Stability Law [金融稳定法] and the recently submitted revision to the Bid Invitation and Bidding Law [招标投标法]. It may also take up the draft revision to the Law on the People’s Bank of China [中国人民银行法] approved by the State Council on May 21.

In addition, one or more of the following pending bills are likely to return for further review:

Finally, the session may also consider one or more bills that the NPCSC has tentatively scheduled for an initial review in 2026.

China’s National Legislature Releases 2026 Legislative Plan

Photo by Markus Mainka (stock.adobe.com)

On Monday, May 11, China’s national legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC), released its legislative work plan for 2026 (Plan). The Plan was preliminarily approved by the Council of Chairpersons in December 2025 and finalized on April 20. It sets forth priorities for all aspects of the NPCSC’s legislative work in 2026, including the legislative projects slated for review or research this year. Other priorities concern conducting constitutional review of draft laws, improving legislative procedure, and publicizing its legislative activities, among others. As usual, we will focus on the list of legislative projects in this post.

Continue reading “China’s National Legislature Releases 2026 Legislative Plan” →

NPC Calendar: May 2026

The following laws take effect on May 1:

The NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) is seeking public comment on the following bills through May 29:

The NPCSC is expected to release its 2026 work priorities as well as 2026 plans for legislative, oversight, and delegates-related work sometime this month.

It will convene for its next regularly scheduled session in late June.

Chinese Legislature Seeks Public Comment on 6 Bills: Defense Mobilization, State-Owned Enterprise Assets, Healthcare, Water Resources & Agriculture

China’s national legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC), is soliciting public comment on the following six bills through May 29, 2026.

Draft NameChinese TextExplanatory Document
Healthcare Security Law (2nd Draft)
医疗保障法草案二次审议稿		PDFPDF
Cultivated Land Protection and Quality Improvement Law (2nd Draft)
耕地保护和质量提升法草案二次审议稿		PDFPDF
Law on the State-Owned Assets of Enterprises (Draft Revision)
企业国有资产法修订草案		PDF 🆚PDF
Agriculture Law (Draft Revision)
农业法修订草案		PDF 🆚PDF
National Defense Mobilization Law (Draft Revision)
国防动员法修订草案		PDF · 🆚PDF
Water Law (Draft Revision)
水法修订草案		PDF 🆚PDF

English translations will be provided if available. All explanatory documents are in Chinese and compiled in a single PDF; the links above will take you to the corresponding pages in the PDF.

Continue reading “Chinese Legislature Seeks Public Comment on 6 Bills: Defense Mobilization, State-Owned Enterprise Assets, Healthcare, Water Resources & Agriculture” →

NPCSC Session Watch: Prison Administration, Social Welfare, Defense Mobilization, State-Owned Enterprise Assets, Water Resources & Agriculture

The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River. Photo by sinitar (stock.adobe.com).

China’s top legislature, the 14th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC), will convene for its 22nd session from April 27 to 30, the Council of Chairpersons decided on Monday, April 20. According to the Council’s proposed agenda, the session will consider eight legislative bills, which we preview below. The Council also approved the NPCSC’s 2026 work priorities as well as 2026 plans for legislative, oversight, delegates-related, and foreign-affairs work. We expect all but the foreign-affairs work plan to be released after the upcoming session, likely in early May.

Continue reading “NPCSC Session Watch: Prison Administration, Social Welfare, Defense Mobilization, State-Owned Enterprise Assets, Water Resources & Agriculture” →

NPC Calendar: April 2026

The 14th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) will convene for its 22nd session in late April. The Council of Chairpersons is expected to meet in mid-April to decide on the agenda and the dates of the session.

The Council is also expected to approve the NPCSC’s 2026 work priorities as well as plans for legislative, oversight, and delegates-related work. These documents will be released after the upcoming NPCSC session (likely in early May).

The session is expected to review the recently submitted draft revision to the Bid Invitation and Bidding Law [招标投标法] and draft revision to the Water Law [水法].

The session is also likely to review one or more of the following bills: