The revised Animal Husbandry Law [畜牧法] (adopted on Oct. 30, 2022) and the Reservists Law [预备役人员法] (adopted on Dec. 30, 2022) take effect on March 1.
China’s 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) will convene for its inaugural session on March 5. The list of 2,977 newly elected delegates and our analysis of their composition are available here. The session’s agenda is expected to include the following items:
- Routine matters
- Deliberate the Government Work Report;
- Deliberate work reports by the NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC), the Supreme People’s Court (SPC), and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP);
- Review a report on the implementation of the 2022 National Economic and Social Development Plan and on the draft 2023 National Economic and Social Development Plan; and review the draft 2023 National Economic and Social Development Plan; and
- Review a report on the execution of the 2022 Central and Local Budgets and on the draft 2023 Central and Local Budgets; and review the draft 2023 Central and Local Budgets.
- Personnel matters
- Elect the chairperson, vice-chairpersons, secretary-general, and members of the 14th NPCSC;
- Establish the special committees of the 14th NPC, and appoint their chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, and members;
- Elect the P.R.C. president and vice-president;
- Appoint the premier, vice-premiers, state councilors, heads of ministries and commissions, governor of the People’s Bank of China, auditor-general, and secretary-general of the State Council;
- Elect the chairperson of the Central Military Commission, and appoint its vice-chairpersons and members;
- Elect the chairperson of the State Supervision Commission;
- Elect the president of the SPC; and
- Elect the procurator-general of the SPP.
- Other matters
- Deliberate a draft amendment to the Legislation Law [立法法]; and
- Deliberate the part of the Party and State Institutional Reform Plan [党和国家机构改革方案] (approved by the Communist Party Central Committee on February 28) that concerns the State Council (and perhaps other state institutions, too).
On March 4, the NPC session will convene for a preparatory meeting to select members of the Presidium (an ad hoc body of about 170–190 members that will preside over the session) and to finalize the session’s agenda. The Presidium will then immediately meet to decide on the session’s daily schedule and designate a spokesperson. Shortly thereafter the session is expected to hold its first press conference.
The first session of an NPC typically lasts about two weeks, but the NPC’s last three annual sessions were shortened due to Covid-19. Depending on whether this year’s schedule will again be compressed, the NPC’s 2023 session could close anywhere between March 15 and 20.
Within a day or two after the NPC session closes, the newly constituted 14th NPCSC will convene for its first session, at which it is expected to approve only some internal personnel changes. By convention, a new NPCSC does not get down to legislative or oversight tasks until its second session in late April.