The Yellow River Protection Law [黄河保护法] (adopted on Oct. 30, 2022) takes effect on April 1.

The 14^th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) is expected to convene for its 2^nd session in late April. The Council of Chairpersons is expected to meet in mid-April to decide on the agenda and dates of the session. The session is likely to review one or more of the following bills:

• draft Emergency Response and Management Law [突发事件应对管理法];
• draft revision to the Company Law [公司法];
• draft Civil Compulsory Enforcement Law [民事强制执行法];
• draft revision to the Counterespionage Law [反间谍法];
• draft Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Ecological Conservation Law [青藏高原生态保护法];
• draft revision to the Administrative Reconsideration Law [行政复议法];
• draft Barrier-Free Environment Protection Law [无障碍环境建设法];
• draft Foreign Relations Law [对外关系法]; and
• draft Foreign Sovereign Immunity Law [外国国家豁免法].

The NPCSC is expected to release its annual plans on legislative, oversight, and delegates work for 2023 after this month’s session.

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 14^th 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 14^th NPCSC;
  • Establish the special committees of the 14^th 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 14^th 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.

The 20^th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China will convene for its Second Plenum late this month. The Plenum is expected to propose nominees for senior leadership positions within key state institutions and to refer them to the 1^st session of the 14^th NPC (due to convene on March 5, 2023). The Plenum will also likely adopt a reorganization plan for the State Council, which would be submitted to the 1^st session of the 14^th NPC for review.

The 13^th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) will convene for its 39^th—and final—regularly scheduled session late this month. The Council of Chairpersons is expected to meet in mid-February to decide on the agenda and dates of the session.

The NPCSC will mostly make preparations for the 2023 NPC session at its upcoming meeting, including by certifying the results of the recently concluded elections of delegates to the 14^th NPC, but it is still likely to review one or two legislative bills. Possible candidates include the draft revision to the Counterespionage Law [反间谍法] and the draft Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Ecological Conservation Law [青藏高原生态保护法].

The following laws take effect on January 1:

• revised Sports Law [体育法] (adopted on June 24, 2022);
• revised Agricultural Products Quality and Safety Law [农产品质量安全法] (adopted on Sept. 2, 2022); and
• revised Women’s Rights and Interests Protection Law [妇女权益保障法] (adopted on Oct. 30, 2022).

The NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) is soliciting public comment on the following bills through January 28:

• draft amendment to the Legislation Law [立法法];
• draft revision to the Company Law [公司法];
• draft revision to the Counterespionage Law [反间谍法];
• draft Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Ecological Conservation Law [青藏高原生态保护法];
• draft Marine Environmental Protection Law [海洋环境保护法]
• draft Rural Collective Economic Organizations Law [农村集体经济组织法];
• draft revision to the Charity Law [慈善法];
• draft Value-Added Tax Law [增值税法];
• draft Financial Stability Law [金融稳定法]
• draft Foreign Sovereign Immunity Law [外国国家豁免法];
• draft amendment to the Civil Procedure Law [民事讼诉法];
• draft amendment to the Administrative Litigation Law [行政诉讼法]; and
• draft Foreign Relations Law [对外关系法].

In accordance with a March 2022 NPC decision (discussed here), the roughly 3,000 delegates to the 14^th NPC will be elected by the end of this month.

The 13^th NPCSC will convene for its final regularly scheduled session in late February.

The Law Against Telecom and Online Fraud [反电信网络诈骗法] (adopted on Sept. 2, 2022) takes effect on December 1.

December 4 is the 40^th anniversary of China’s current Constitution. General Secretary Xi Jinping is expected to give a speech to mark the occasion at a high-profile commemorative event to be held in Beijing.

The 13^th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) is expected to convene for its 38^th session in late December. The Council of Chairpersons is expected to meet in mid-December to decide on the agenda and dates of the session. The session is expected to review the draft Reservists Law [预备役人员法] and the draft revision to the Wild Animals Protection Law [野生动物保护法]. It is also likely to review the following bills:

• draft revision to the Company Law [公司法];
• draft Emergency Response and Management Law [突发事件应对管理法];
• draft Civil Compulsory Enforcement Law [民事强制执行法]; and
• draft amendment to the Legislation Law [立法法].

In addition, the NPCSC is expected to adopt a legislative interpretation on the issue of whether overseas counsel not admitted to the Hong Kong bar may participate in cases involving offenses endangering national security, at the request of the city’s Chief Executive.

The NPCSC’s October 26, 2019 decision authorizing the State Council to pilot certain administrative reforms in China’s free trade zones will expire on December 1 (all reforms, except those concerning the Foreign Trade Law [对外贸易法], have been codified). The NPCSC’s December 29, 2018 decision authorizing the State Council to approve a certain amount of new local government debts in advance of annual budget approval will expire on December 31.

The NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) is soliciting public comments on the following bills through November 29:

• draft amendment to the Legislation Law [立法法];
• draft Barrier-Free Environments Development Law [无障碍环境建设法];
• draft revision to the Administrative Reconsideration Law [行政复议法]; and
• draft Reservists Law [预备役人员法].

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

The NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) is soliciting public comments on a draft revision to the Wild Animals Protection Law [野生动物保护法] and on a draft Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Ecological Conservation Law [青藏高原生态保护法] through October 1.

The 20^th National Congress of the Communist Party of China opens on October 16; it will elect the 20^th Central Committee. The day after the Party Congress closes, the new Central Committee will meet for its First Plenum to select members of the next Politburo (among other positions). The second- or third-ranking member of the new Politburo Standing Committee is expected to become the Chairperson of the 14^th NPCSC next spring.

The 13^th NPCSC is expected to convene for its 37^th session shortly after October 23, when the First Plenum is expected to close. The Council of Chairpersons will likely meet immediately after the National Day holiday (ending on October 7) or after the final plenum of the outgoing 19^th Central Committee (expected to end on October 12) to decide on the agenda and dates of the session.

The session is expected to review the following bills:

• draft revision to the Women’s Rights and Interests Protection Law [妇女权益保障法];
• draft Yellow River Protection Law [黄河保护法]; and
• draft revision to the Animal Husbandry Law [畜牧法].

It is also likely to review a draft revision to the Administrative Reconsideration Law [行政复议法]. The draft revision to the Company Law [公司法] and the draft Emergency Response and Management Law [突发事件应对管理法] may return for further review as well.

The NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) is in session through September 2. It is reviewing the following bills:

• draft Law Against Telecom and Online Fraud [反电信网络诈骗法];
• draft revision to the Agricultural Products Quality and Safety Law [农产品质量安全法];
• draft revision to the Wild Animals Protection Law [野生动物保护法];
• draft revision to the Counterespionage Law [反间谍法]; and
• draft Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Ecological Conservation Law [青藏高原生态保护法].

The NPCSC is expected to solicit public comments on any of these bills that remains pending after the session closes.

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

The following laws take effect on August 1:

• Futures and Derivatives Law [期货和衍生品法] (adopted on Apr. 20, 2022);
• Black Soil Protection Law [黑土地保护法] (adopted on June 24, 2022); and
• amendment to the Anti-Monopoly Law [反垄断法] (adopted on June 24, 2022).

The 13^th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) will convene for its 36^th session from August 30 to September 2. It will review the following bills:

• draft Law Against Telecom and Online Fraud [反电信网络诈骗法];
• draft revision to the Agricultural Products Quality and Safety Law [农产品质量安全法];
• draft revision to the Wild Animals Protection Law [野生动物保护法];
• draft revision to the Counterespionage Law [反间谍法]; and
• draft Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Ecological Conservation Law [青藏高原生态保护法].

For more information, please see this post.

This post was updated twice on July 29 at 10:25 a.m. and 3:10 p.m. EDT.