As we bid farewell to 2021, we look back at the National People’s Congress’s and our work in the past year.
Continue reading “Year in Review: The NPC and the Observer in 2021”Taige Hu
Taige Hu has been the deputy manager of NPC Observer since July 2019. He was a research assistant from August 2018 to June 2019. He holds an LL.M. degree from the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the City University of Hong Kong.
NPCSC Enacts Legislation to Improve Plant Variety Protections, Curb Noise Pollution, Protect Wetlands & Strengthen Legislative Oversight of the Economy
Last Friday, December 24, the 13th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) concluded its 32nd session and adopted eight bills. To give the new Anti–Organized Crime Law [反有组织犯罪法] the attention it deserves and to limit the length of this post, we will publish a separate summary of that Law, likely in January [It was published in December 2022. —Ed.]. The other seven bills are discussed below.
NPCSC Session Watch: Women’s Rights, Trade Unions, Yellow River & Black Soil Protection, Emergency Management Reform & More (Updated)
UPDATE (Dec. 16, 2021): According to a spokesman for the NPCSC Legislative Affairs Commission, the NPCSC will additionally review a draft revision to the Company Law [公司法] and a draft amendment to the NPCSC Rules of Procedure [全国人民代表大会常务委员会议事规则] at its December 2021 session.
The Council of Chairpersons decided on Monday, November 29 to convene the 32nd session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) from December 20 to 24. The session’s tentative agenda includes fourteen bills. A quick rundown follows.
Continue reading “NPCSC Session Watch: Women’s Rights, Trade Unions, Yellow River & Black Soil Protection, Emergency Management Reform & More (Updated)”NPCSC Codifies Three-Child Policy, Expands Legal Aid & Updates Military Service Law and Physicians Law
The NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) concluded its 30th session on Friday, August 20, with the adoption of seven bills. The headline item was, of course, the new Personal Information Protection Law [个人信息保护法], China’s first comprehensive national data privacy legislation. We decided not to add to the already extensive global coverage of that Law—see, for instance, the excellent analysis by the Stanford DigiChina Project—but will focus on the other bills that are no less important.
Continue reading “NPCSC Codifies Three-Child Policy, Expands Legal Aid & Updates Military Service Law and Physicians Law”NPCSC Seeks Public Comments on Bills on Organized Crime, Family Education, Land Borders, Innovation Policy, Noise Pollution & Plant Variety Protection
The NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) is soliciting public comments on the following six bills through September 18, 2021:
| Draft Name | Chinese Text | Explanatory Document |
|---|---|---|
| Anti–Organized Crime Law (2nd Draft) 反有组织犯罪法二次审议稿 | PDF (English) | |
| Family Education Promotion Law (2nd Draft) 家庭教育促进法二次审议稿 | ||
| Land Borders Law (2nd Draft) 陆地国界法二次审议稿 | ||
| Scientific and Technological Progress Law (Draft Revision) 科学技术进步法修订草案 | ||
| Law on the Prevention and Control of Noise Pollution (Draft) (i.e., revision to the Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Noise Pollution) 噪音污染防治法草案 | ||
| Seed Law (Draft Amendment) 种子法修正草案 |
English translations will be provided if and when available. All explanatory documents are in Chinese.
To submit comments online, please refer to this guide. Comments can also be mailed to the NPCSC Legislative Affairs Commission [全国人大常委会法制工作委员会] at the following address:
北京市西城区前门西大街1号 邮编: 100805
No. 1 West Qianmen Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing 100805
Please clearly write “<Draft Name in Chinese>征求意见” on the envelope.
NPCSC Session Watch: Three-Child Policy, Data Privacy, Innovation Policy, Court Reform & New National Law in Hong Kong & Macau
The Council of Chairpersons decided on Tuesday, July 27 to convene the 30th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) from August 17 to 20. The session’s tentative agenda includes fifteen bills. A quick rundown follows.
Continue reading “NPCSC Session Watch: Three-Child Policy, Data Privacy, Innovation Policy, Court Reform & New National Law in Hong Kong & Macau”NPCSC Seeks Public Comments on Draft Legal Aid Law, Physicians Law, Vocational Education Law Revision & Audit Law Amendment
The NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) is soliciting public comments on the following four bills through July 9, 2021:
| Draft Name | Chinese Text | Explanatory Document |
|---|---|---|
| Legal Aid Law (2nd Draft) 法律援助法草案二次审议稿 | PDF (English) | |
| Physicians Law (2nd Draft) (i.e., revision to the Licensed Physicians Law) 医师法草案二次审议稿 | ||
| Vocational Education Law (Draft Revision) 职业教育法修订草案 | ||
| Audit Law (Draft Amendment) 审计法修正草案 |
English translations will be provided if and when available. All explanatory documents are in Chinese.
To submit comments online, please refer to this guide. Comments can also be mailed to the NPCSC Legislative Affairs Commission [全国人大常委会法制工作委员会] at the following address:
北京市西城区前门西大街1号 邮编: 100805
No. 1 West Qianmen Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing 100805
Please clearly write “<Draft Name in Chinese>征求意见” on the envelope.
NPCSC Session Watch: Data Security, Legal Aid, Workplace Safety, Vocational Education & More (Updated)
UPDATE (June 7, 2021): Xinhua reported on June 7 that the NPCSC is also reviewing a draft Anti–Foreign Sanctions Law [反外国制裁法], which underwent a secret first review at the NPCSC’s April session, as well as a draft decision granting the Shanghai legislature authority to enact “Pudong New Area regulations” for the city’s Pudong New Area, an authority that appears comparable to that of cities encompassing special economic zones. Both bills are expected to pass on Thursday, June 10.
On Wednesday, May 26, the Council of Chairpersons decided to convene the 29th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) from June 7 to 10. This session is earlier than a regular NPCSC session, which typically takes place near the end of a month. This could mean either that the NPCSC is holding another session later this month, consistent with a recent Communist Party directive to add legislative sessions to speed up the pace of legislation; or that the NPCSC is making way for the Party’s centenary celebrations around July 1. Some urgent matter could also have required the NPCSC to meet earlier, but we have yet to see any such indication. The NPCSC will review at least ten bills at its upcoming session. A quick rundown follows.
Continue reading “NPCSC Session Watch: Data Security, Legal Aid, Workplace Safety, Vocational Education & More (Updated)”NPCSC Passes Legislation to Support Rural Revitalization Campaign, Curb Food Waste & Combat Identity Thefts in School Admissions
The 13th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) concluded its 28th session on Thursday, April 29. It approved the Rural Revitalization Promotion Law [乡村振兴促进法] and the Anti–Food Waste Law [反食品浪费法], revised the Maritime Traffic Safety Law [海上交通安全法] and a quasi-legislative decision on budget oversight, amended another ten laws, and authorized a set of regulatory pilot programs in China’s free trade zones. Below we take a closer look at some of these bills.
Continue reading “NPCSC Passes Legislation to Support Rural Revitalization Campaign, Curb Food Waste & Combat Identity Thefts in School Admissions”Legislation Analysis: NPC Standing Committee Approves Overhaul of Hong Kong’s Electoral System
Just shy of twenty days after the National People’s Congress (NPC) had authorized and outlined a drastic overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system, the NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC) on Tuesday, March 30 finalized details of the overhaul. The NPCSC unanimously approved revisions to Annexes I and II to the Hong Kong Basic Law, which respectively govern the selection of the Chief Executive and formation of the Legislative Council. The revisions took effect on March 31. Below we will take an in-depth look at the electoral overhaul. More detailed discussion of the previous election rules can be found in our explainer of the NPC’s March 11 decision.
Continue reading “Legislation Analysis: NPC Standing Committee Approves Overhaul of Hong Kong’s Electoral System”