UPDATE (Sept. 13, 2024): On Friday, September 13, the NPCSC revised the National Defense Education Law (effective Sept. 21, 2024) and amended the Statistics Law (effective immediately), while releasing six other bills for public comment through October 12. The NPCSC also adopted a decision conferring state honors on various individuals to mark the PRC’s 70th anniversary and a decision on gradually raising the statutory retirement ages (effective Jan. 1, 2025).
UPDATE (Sept. 10, 2024): According to the official readout of the NPCSC’s meeting on September 10, it is also considering a draft decision, submitted by the State Council, to “gradually raise the statutory retirement ages.” The readout has not offered any other information about the bill, which we expect to pass on Friday.
China’s top legislature, the 14th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC), will convene for its eleventh session from September 10 to 13, the Council of Chairpersons decided on Tuesday, August 27. The session will consider eight legislative bills, according to the Council’s proposed agenda. The session will also adopt a decision to confer state honors on a slate of individuals nominated by the Communist Party to mark the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic on October 1. The legislature likely has delayed its typical August session to mid-September to announce the conferral decision closer to the National Day holiday. (Five years ago, it held a special session on September 17 for that very purpose.) Lastly, the session will hear a few reports that might be of interest. We preview these agenda items below.
Continue reading “NPCSC Session Watch: Anti-Corruption, Defense Education, Public Health Emergency, Government Debt, National Parks & State Honors”