As discussed in detail in this post, quasi-legislative decisions are a type of legal documents adopted by the NPC or its Standing Committee (NPCSC) without presidential promulgation. While they do not qualify as statutes in the constitutional sense—which are promulgated by the President—quasi-legislative decisions have the same force as statutes and are part of the NPC and NPCSC’s “legislation.”
This page lists almost all quasi-legislative decisions with ongoing effect as of February 1, 2021. (References to the NPC or the NPCSC in their titles are omitted for brevity.) These decisions are divided into ones with long-term effect and ones with temporary effect. Decisions adopted by the NPC are shaded in blue; all other decisions were made by the NPCSC. This page also lists a few documents styled as decisions but qualify as statutes in the constitutional sense. As discussed here, we term these decisions “mini-statutes,” for they are typically much shorter than “full statutes.” The main difference between mini-statutes and quasi-legislative decisions is that the former are promulgated by the President.
We will continue to update this page as new decisions are adopted and existing ones are updated, are repealed, or expire. We will also add English translations (where available) and link to our coverage in the coming weeks and months.
Decisions with Long-Term Effect
Notes: “P.O.” is short for “presidential order” [主席令]. The 1978 Constitution did not create the position of the P.R.C. President and did not vest the NPCSC with national legislative power, but only the authority to adopt “ordinances” [法令]. The 1982 Constitution later reinstated the Presidency and gave the NPCSC power to enact “statutes” [法律], which must be promulgated by the President.
| Decision | Date Adopted | P.O.? | Summary | Note |
| 关于中华人民共和国建国以来制定的法律、法令效力问题的决议 | 1979/11/29 | N/A | confirming the validity of laws and ordinances enacted since the P.R.C.’s founding, unless inconsistent with the Constitution, laws, and ordinances enacted by the 5th NPC or its Standing Committee | qualifying only as an “ordinance” under the 1978 Constitution |
| 关于加强法律解释工作的决议 | 1981/6/10 | N/A | specifying various governmental bodies’ roles in interpretating national and local legislation | qualifying only as an “ordinance” under the 1978 Constitution; partially superseded by the Legislation Law |
| 关于授权广东省、福建省人民代表大会及其常务委员会制定所属经济特区的各项单行经济法规的决议 | 1981/11/26 | N/A | authorizing the Guangdong and Fujian provincial legislatures to enact special economic regulations for their special economic zones | qualifying only as an “ordinance” under the 1978 Constitution |
| 关于开展全民义务植树运动的决议 | 1981/12/13 | N/A | launching a nationwide tree-planting campaign in which every able-bodied citizen over eleven should plant 3 to 5 trees per year or volunteer equivalent services | |
| 关于批准长江南通港、张家港对外国籍船舶开放的决定 | 1982/11/19 | N/A | opening the Nantong and Zhangjiagang ports on the Yangtze River to foreign vessels | qualifying only as an “ordinance” under the 1978 Constitution |
| 关于县级以下人民代表大会代表直接选举的若干规定 | 1983/3/5 | prescribing rules for the direct elections of delegates to the people’s congresses at or below the county level | not promulgated by the President, but officially categorized as a statute | |
| 关于国家安全机关行使公安机关的侦查、拘留、预审和执行逮捕的职权的决定 | 1983/9/2 | authorizing state security organs to exercise the police’s criminal justice functions | ||
| 关于在沿海港口城市设立海事法院的决定 | 1984/11/14 | Y | authorizing the SPC to establish maritime courts in coastal cities | |
| 关于教师节的决定 | 1985/1/21 | designating September 10 as the Teachers’ Day | ||
| 关于授权国务院在经济体制改革和对外开放方面可以制定暂行的规定或者条例的决定 | 1985/4/10 | authorizing the State Council to enact interim regulations relating to economic reforms and opening up | ||
| 关于批准长江南京港对外国籍船舶开放的决定 | 1986/1/20 | opening the Nanjing port on the Yangtze River to foreign vessels and authorizing the State Council to open other ports to foreign vessels | ||
| 关于对中华人民共和国缔结或者参加的国际条约所规定的罪行行使刑事管辖权的决定 | 1987/6/23 | allowing China to exercise criminal jurisdiction consistent with the international treaties it has joined, notwithstanding contrary provisions of domestic criminal law | not promulgated by the President, but officially categorized as a statute | |
| 关于批准法制工作委员会关于对1978年底以前颁布的法律进行清理情况和意见报告的决定 | 1987/11/24 | approving a report by Legislative Affairs Commission concluding that 159 laws enacted by end of 1978 had in fact expired | ||
| 关于建立海南经济特区的决议 | 1988/4/13 | establishing the Hainan Special Economic Zone and authorizing the Hainan provincial legislature to enact special economic zone regulations | ||
| 关于设立香港特别行政区的决定 | 1990/4/4 | establishing the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | ||
| 关于《中华人民共和国香港特别行政区基本法》的决定 | 1990/4/4 | affirming the constitutionality of the Hong Kong Basic Law | ||
| 关于《中华人民共和国香港特别行政区基本法》英文本的决定 | 1990/6/28 | approving an official English translation of the Hong Kong Basic Law and providing that the Chinese version prevails over the English one in the event of a conflict | ||
| 关于惩治走私、制作、贩卖、传播淫秽物品的犯罪分子的决定 | 1990/12/28 (amended 2009/8/27) | Y | prescribing criminal and administrative penalties for the offenses of smuggling, manufacturing, selling, and distributing obscene articles | criminal provisions have been superseded by the 1997 Criminal Law |
| 关于严禁卖淫嫖娼的决定 | 1991/9/4 (amended 2009/8/27) | Y | prescribing criminal and administrative penalties for prostitution-related offenses | criminal provisions have been superseded by the 1997 Criminal Law; most administrative provisions have also been repealed or lost force |
| 关于严惩拐卖、绑架妇女、儿童的犯罪分子的决定 | 1991/9/4 (amended 2009/8/27) | Y | prescribing criminal penalties for offenses of kidnapping and trafficking in women and children | criminal provisions have been superseded by the 1997 Criminal Law |
| 关于批准武汉、九江、芜湖港对外国籍船舶开放的决定 | 1991/10/30 | opening the Wuhan, Jiujiang, and Wuhu ports to foreign vessels | ||
| 关于授权深圳市人民代表大会及其常务委员会和深圳市人民政府分别制定法规和规章在深圳经济特区实施的决定 | 1992/7/1 | authorizing the Shenzhen municipal legislature to enact special economic zone regulations and its municipal government to issue rules | ||
| 关于设立中华人民共和国澳门特别行政区的决定 | 1993/3/31 | establishing the Macau Special Administrative Region | ||
| 关于《中华人民共和国澳门特别行政区基本法》的决定 | 1993/3/31 | affirming the constitutionality of the Macau Basic Law | ||
| 关于《中华人民共和国澳门特别行政区基本法》葡萄牙文本的决定 | 1993/7/2 | approving an official Portuguese translation of the Macau Basic Law and providing that the Chinese version prevails over the Portuguese one in the event of a conflict | ||
| 关于外商投资企业和外国企业适用增值税、消费税、营业税等税收暂行条例的决定 | 1993/12/29 | Y | applying interim tax regulations to foreign and foreign-invested enterprises | |
| 关于中国人民解放军保卫部门对军队内部发生的刑事案件行使公安机关的侦查、拘留、预审和执行逮捕的职权的决定 | 1993/12/29 | authorizing the People’s Liberation Army’s security departments to exercise the police’s criminal justice functions with respect to crimes within the military | ||
| 关于授权厦门市人民代表大会及其常务委员会和厦门市人民政府分别制定法规和规章在厦门经济特区实施的决定 | 1994/3/22 | authorizing the Xiamen municipal legislature to enact special economic zone regulations and its municipal government to issue rules | ||
| 关于惩治破坏金融秩序犯罪的决定 | 1995/6/30 | Y | prescribing criminal and administrative penalties for certain financial offenses, including counterfeiting currency, forging financial instruments, bank fraud, and insurance fraud | criminal provisions have been superseded by the 1997 Criminal Law |
| 关于惩治虚开、伪造和非法出售增值税专用发票犯罪的决定 | 1995/10/30 | Y | prescribing criminal and administrative penalties for the offenses of falsely making out, forging, and illegal selling certain tax invoices | criminal provisions have been superseded by the 1997 Criminal Law |
| 关于授权汕头市和珠海市人民代表大会及其常务委员会、人民政府分别制定法规和规章在各自的经济特区实施的决定 | 1996/3/17 | authorizing the Shantou and Zhuhai municipal legislatures to enact special economic zone regulations and their municipal governments to issue rules | ||
| 关于惩治骗购外汇、逃汇和非法买卖外汇犯罪的决定 | 1998/12/29 | Y | punishing the crimes of fraudulently purchasing foreign exchange, evading foreign exchange control, and illegally trading in foreign exchange | |
| 关于新疆维吾尔自治区生产建设兵团设置人民法院和人民检察院的决定 | 1998/12/29 | establishing courts and procuratorates within the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps | ||
| 关于取缔邪教组织、防范和惩治邪教活动的决定 | 1999/10/30 | outlawing “cults” [邪教组织] in general and Falun Gong in particular | ||
| 关于加强中央预算审查监督的决定 | 1999/12/25 | strengthening the legislature’s role in reviewing and overseeing the implementation of the central budget | ||
| 关于加强经济工作监督的决定 | 2000/3/1 | strengthening the legislature’s role in reviewing and overseeing the implementation of National Economic and Social Development Plans | ||
| 关于维护互联网安全的决定 | 2000/12/28 (amended 2009/8/27) | interpreting the application of existing criminal law and public security law provisions to online conduct | 2009 amendment was promulgated by the President, but not officially categorized as a statute | |
| 关于设立全民国防教育日的决定 | 2001/8/31 | establishing the third Saturday of September as the Nationwide National Defense Education Day | ||
| 关于司法鉴定管理问题的决定 | 2005/2/28 (amended 2015/4/24) | regulating judicial authenticating institutions and judicial authenticators | 2015 amendment was promulgated by the President, but not officially categorized as a statute | |
| 关于授权香港特别行政区对深圳湾口岸港方口岸区实施管辖的决定 | 2006/10/31 | authorizing Hong Kong to exercise jurisdiction over the Hong Kong Port Area of the Shenzhen Bay Port, which is located in the mainland | ||
| 关于授权澳门特别行政区对设在横琴岛的澳门大学新校区实施管辖的决定 | 2009/6/27 | authorizing Macau to exercise jurisdiction over University of Macau’s new campus, which is located in the mainland | to expire on December 19, 2049, subject to renewal by the NPCSC | |
| 关于加强网络信息保护的决定 | 2012/12/28 | strengthening protections for citizens’ personal electronic information | ||
| 关于废止有关劳动教养法律规定的决定 | 2013/12/28 | abolishing the reeducation-through-labor system | ||
| 关于调整完善生育政策的决议 | 2013/12/28 | replacing the one-child policy with a two-child policy | ||
| 关于确定中国人民抗日战争胜利纪念日的决定 | 2014/2/27 | designating September 3 as the “Victory Day of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression” | ||
| 关于设立南京大屠杀死难者国家公祭日的决定 | 2014/2/27 | designating December 13 as the “National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre” | ||
| 关于设立烈士纪念日的决定 | 2014/8/31 | designating September 30 as the Martyrs’ Day | ||
| 关于在北京、上海、广州设立知识产权法院的决定 | 2014/8/31 | establishing specialized intellectual property courts in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou | ||
| 关于香港特别行政区行政长官普选问题和2016年立法会产生办法的决定 | 2014/8/31 | laying down requirements for electing the Hong Kong Chief Executive by universal suffrage | ||
| 关于设立国家宪法日的决定 | 2014/11/1 | designating December 4 as the National Constitution Day | ||
| 关于实行宪法宣誓制度的决定 | 2015/7/1 (revised 2018/2/24) | establishing a constitutional-oath system | ||
| 关于批准《内地与香港特别行政区关于在广深港高铁西九龙站设立口岸实施”一地两检”的合作安排》的决定 | 2017/12/27 | approving and confirming the constitutionality of an agreement between Hong Kong and mainland authorities that allows the latter to exercise jurisdiction over part of a high-speed railway station in Hong Kong | ||
| 关于设立上海金融法院的决定 | 2018/4/27 | establishing a Shanghai Financial Court | ||
| 关于专利等知识产权案件诉讼程序若干问题的决定 | 2018/10/26 | authorizing direct appeals to the Supreme People’s Court in certain technical intellectual property cases | ||
| 关于国家监察委员会制定监察法规的决定 | 2019/10/26 | authorizing the State Supervision Commission to adopt “supervisory regulations” [监察法规] | ||
| 关于授权澳门特别行政区对横琴口岸澳方口岸区及相关延伸区实施管辖的决定 | 2019/10/26 | authorizing Macau to exercise jurisdiction over the Macau Port Area of the renovated Hengqin Port and other surrounding areas | to expire on December 19, 2049, subject to renewal by the NPCSC | |
| 关于废止有关收容教育法律规定和制度的决定 | 2019/12/28 | Y | abolishing “custody and education” [收容教育], an extrajudicial detention system for sex workers and their clients | |
| 关于建立健全香港特别行政区维护国家安全的法律制度和执行机制的决定 | 2020/5/28 | ordering Hong Kong to enact legislation and create institutions to safeguard national security and authorizing the NPCSC to enact national security legislation for Hong Kong | ||
| 关于香港特别行政区立法会议员资格问题的决定 | 2020/11/11 | clarifying Hong Kong legislators’ obligations to uphold the Basic Law and swear allegiance to Hong Kong and disqualifying four pro-democracy legislators | ||
| 关于加强国有资产管理情况监督的决定 | 2020/12/26 | institutionalizing the NPCSC’s oversight of the State Council’s management of state assets | ||
| 关于设立海南自由贸易港知识产权法院的决定 | 2020/12/26 | establishing a Hainan Free Trade Port Intellectual Property Court | ||
| 关于设立北京金融法院的决定 | 2021/1/12 | establishing a Being Financial Court |
Decisions with Temporary Effect
| Decision | Date Adopted | Summary | Notes |
| 关于军官制度改革期间暂时调整适用相关法律规定的决定 | 2016/12/25 | suspending certain provisions of the Officers in Active Duty Law and the Regulations on the Military Ranks of PLA Officers while the Central Military Commission conducts pilot reform of the military officer system | to lose real effect once the two statutes are amended to codify the reform |
| 关于国务院机构改革涉及法律规定的行政机关职责调整问题的决定 | 2018/4/27 | ensuring continuity in the functioning of agencies affected by the 2018 State Council reorganization when the relevant statutes are yet to be amended | to lose real effect once the relevant statutes are all amended to reflect the change in the makeup of agencies and their functions |
| 关于全国人民代表大会宪法和法律委员会职责问题的决定 | 2018/6/22 | making clear that the NPC Constitution and Law Committee succeeds to its predecessor body’s functions under five statutes and assigning the Committee responsibilities over, inter alia, constitutional review and interpretation | to lose real effect once the five statutes are amended to refer to the Committee and incorporate its new duties |
| 关于授权国务院提前下达部分新增地方政府债务限额的决定 | 2018/12/29 | authorizing the State Council to allow local governments to issue bonds within a certain percentage of their annual new debt limits before the NPC approves that year’s state budget | to expire on December 31, 2022 |
| 关于授权国务院在自由贸易试验区暂时调整适用有关法律规定的决定 | 2019/10/26 | authorizing the State Council to suspend certain provisions in seven statutes relating to administrative approvals in China’s free trade zones | to expire on December 1, 2022 |
| 关于授权最高人民法院在部分地区开展民事诉讼程序繁简分流改革试点工作的决定 | 2019/12/28 | authorizing the Supreme People’s Court to pilot civil procedure reform in select courts | to expire on January 15, 2022 |
| 关于全面禁止非法野生动物交易、革除滥食野生动物陋习、切实保障人民群众生命健康安全的决定 | 2020/2/24 | imposing a near-total ban on consuming wild terrestrial animals and authorizing enhanced penalties for wildlife crimes | to lose real effect after the relevant statutes, including the Wildlife Protection Law, are amended to incorporate its provisions |
| 关于授权国务院在中国（海南）自由贸易试验区暂时调整适用有关法律规定的决定 | 2020/4/29 | authorizing the State Council to suspend certain provisions in three statutes relating to administrative approvals in the Hainan Free Trade Zone | to expire on December 31, 2024 |
| 关于授权国务院在粤港澳大湾区内地九市开展香港法律执业者和澳门执业律师取得内地执业资质和从事律师职业试点工作的决定 | 2020/8/11 | authorizing the State Council to conduct a pilot program that would allow lawyers licensed in Hong Kong or Macau to practice mainland law after passing a special bar exam | to expire on October 5, 2023 |
| 关于香港特别行政区第六届立法会继续履行职责的决定 | 2020/8/11 | extending the term of the 6th Hong Kong Legislative Council for at least a year, until the 7th Legislative Council is elected | to lose real effect once the 7th Legislative Council is elected |