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: June 2025

Here is our recap of NPC-related events in June 2025 at our newsletter.

The Preschool Education Law [学前教育法] (adopted on Nov. 8, 2024) and the amendment to the Supervision Law [监察法] (adopted on Dec. 25, 2024) take effect on June 1.

The NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) is seeking public comment on a draft Ecological and Environmental Code [生态环境法典] through June 13.

The 14th NPCSC will convene for its sixteenth 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.

According to the NPCSC’s 2025 legislative work plan, the following bills will return for further review:

The draft Atomic Energy Law [原子能法] and draft revision to the Arbitration Law [仲裁法] may also return for further review.

In addition, the session is expected to review the newly submitted Healthcare Security Law [医疗保障法] and amendment to the Food Safety Law [食品安全法], and may also take up one or more of the other bills scheduled for an initial review this year by the NPCSC’s 2025 legislative work plan.

China’s National Legislature Releases 2025 Legislative Plan

On Wednesday, May 14, China’s national legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC), released its legislative work plan for 2025 (Plan). The Plan was preliminarily approved by the Council of Chairpersons in December 2024 and finalized on April 18. It sets forth priorities for all aspects of the NPCSC’s legislative work in 2025, which include a list of legislative projects slated for review or research this year. Other aspects of the NPCSC’s legislative work include conducting constitutional review of draft laws, improving legislative procedure, raising public awareness of the NPC’s legislative activities, and offering guidance to local people’s congresses. As usual, we will focus on the list of legislative projects in this post.

Continue reading “China’s National Legislature Releases 2025 Legislative Plan” →

NPC Calendar: May 2025

Here is our recap of NPC-related events in May 2025 at our monthly newsletter.

The Rural Collective Economic Organizations Law [农村集体经济组织法] (adopted on June 28, 2024) and the decision of the NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) authorizing the State Council to temporarily modify a provision of the Seed Law [种子法] in the Xinjiang Pilot Free Trade Zone (adopted on Apr. 30, 2025) take effect on May 1.

The Private Economy Promotion Law [民营经济促进法] (adopted on April 30, 2025) takes effect on May 20.

The NPCSC is seeking public comment on the following bills through May 29:

It is also seeking public comment on a draft Ecological and Environmental Code [生态环境法典] through June 13, 2025.

The NPCSC is expected to release its 2025 work priorities as well as 2025 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 5 Bills: Environmental Code, Arbitration, Atomic Energy, Development Planning & Prisoner Management

China’s national legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC), is soliciting public comment on the following five bills. The consultation period will end on June 13, 2025 for the draft Ecological and Environmental Code and on May 29, 2025 for the other bills.

Draft NameChinese TextExplanatory Document
Atomic Energy Law (2nd Draft)
原子能法草案二次审议稿		PDFPDF
Arbitration Law (2nd Draft Revision)
仲裁法修订草案二次审议稿		PDFPDF
Ecological and Environmental Code (Draft)
生态环境法典草案		PDFPDF
Law on National Development Plans (Draft)
国家发展规划法草案		PDFPDF
Prisons Law (Draft Revision)
监狱法修订草案		PDF ΔPDF

English translations will be provided if available. All explanatory documents are in Chinese, and all except the draft Code’s are compiled in a single PDF; the links above will take you to the corresponding pages in the PDF only if you use a desktop browser—this does not work on a phone or a tablet.

Continue reading “Chinese Legislature Seeks Public Comment on 5 Bills: Environmental Code, Arbitration, Atomic Energy, Development Planning & Prisoner Management” →

NPCSC Session Watch: Environmental Code, Private Sector Promotion, Arbitration, Enforcement of Prison Sentences & National Development Planning

UPDATE (Apr. 30, 2025): On April 30, the NPCSC approved the Private Economy Promotion Law (effective May 20, 2025); revised the Law on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (effective Sept. 1, 2025); and adopted a decision authorizing the State Council to temporarily modify a provision of the Seed Law in the Xinjiang Pilot Free Trade Zone (effective May 1, 2025).

Tourists riding bamboo rafts on the Li River in Yangshuo, Guangxi. Photo by Changhao Wei. All rights reserved.

China’s top legislature, the 14th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC), will convene for its fifteenth session from April 27 to 30, the Council of Chairpersons decided on Friday, April 18. 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 2025 work priorities as well as 2025 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: Environmental Code, Private Sector Promotion, Arbitration, Enforcement of Prison Sentences & National Development Planning” →

NPC 2025: Documents and Votes

The third session of China’s 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) concluded on Tuesday, March 11. Below we have compiled a list of all official documents from this session (except for two legislative reports the NPC has so far neglected to release). We have also linked to the submitted (i.e., draft) version of the six main reports for your reference. Unless otherwise noted, the documents are available in Chinese only. The vote results for each bill and resolution are listed below in brackets, in the order of yea–nay–abstention.

Continue reading “NPC 2025: Documents and Votes” →

NPC 2025: Agenda and Daily Schedule

China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) has released its 2025 session’s agenda and daily schedule of meetings, as well as a preliminary schedule of press events during the session. This year’s session will open on the morning of March 5 and close on the afternoon of March 11, lasting seven full days. As the NPC spokesperson announced last year, the Premier will not hold a press conference after this session (or during the remainder of this NPC’s term “absent special circumstances”).

All times below are in China Standard Time (UTC +8:00). For a primer on the NPC and its annual sessions, check out this FAQ.

Continue reading “NPC 2025: Agenda and Daily Schedule” →

NPCSC Session Watch: Private Sector Promotion, Civil Aviation & NPC Preparations

UPDATE (Feb. 21, 2025): According to the spokesperson’s office of the NPCSC Legislative Affairs Commission, the draft Private Economy Promotion Law will not pass at the upcoming session as we expected, but will instead undergo a third and final review “as soon as possible.”

An Air China plane parked in a Chinese airport
Photo by Nicholas Fu from Pexels

China’s top legislature, the 14th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC), will convene for its fourteenth session from February 24 to 25, the Council of Chairpersons decided on Monday, February 17.

As expected, this two-day meeting will primarily make preparations for the NPC’s 2025 session, scheduled to open on March 5. Besides discussing its annual work report to the NPC, the NPCSC will review a proposed itemized agenda for the 2025 NPC session, among other preparatory matters. While the agenda will not be finalized until March 4, the NPCSC already previewed all the agenda items last December: routine work reports, government budgets, China’s annual socioeconomic development plan, and a legislative bill.

The NPCSC will also review two pieces of legislation at its upcoming session.

Continue reading “NPCSC Session Watch: Private Sector Promotion, Civil Aviation & NPC Preparations” →

Year in Review: The NPC and the Observer in 2024

As we bid farewell to 2024, we reflect on the work of the National People’s Congress and of this publication over the past year.

Continue reading “Year in Review: The NPC and the Observer in 2024” →

NPC Calendar: January 2025

The following laws take effect on January 1:

The NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) is seeking public comment on the following bills through January 23:

The NPCSC’s April 29, 2020 decision (zh | en) authorizing the State Council to temporarily modify certain regulatory requirements of the Land Management Law [土地管理法], Seed Law [种子法], and Maritime Law [海商法] within the Hainan Free Trade Zone expires on January 1.

The NPCSC will convene for its next regularly scheduled session in late February.