UPDATE (June 23, 2026): According to the official readout of the session’s opening meeting, the State Council also submitted a draft amendment to the Lawyers Law [律师法]. The amendment appears primarily intended to codify a pilot program authorized by the NPCSC that allows eligible lawyers licensed in Hong Kong or Macao to practice mainland law within the Greater Bay Area (subject to various limitations). The pilot is due to expire on October 5; on Tuesday, the NPCSC also heard the State Council’s report on the pilot.
According to a brief summary published by Xinhua, the amendment would additionally address issues including “Party building within the legal profession, the full coverage of legal defense by lawyers in criminal cases, the encouragement of lawyers’ participation in public-interest legal services, and the regulation of lawyers’ professional conduct.” Yet, because this bill is styled as an “amendment” [修正], it is unlikely to be the comprehensive “revision” [修订] contemplated by the State Council’s 2026 legislative plan. Although the NPCSC could approve the bill on Friday, June 26, we believe a second and final review in late August (before the pilot expires) is more likely. The scope of the amendment will become clear once a draft is released for public comment later this week.
The readout also confirms that the NPCSC will approve the draft revision to the Trademarks Law [商标法] and the draft amendment to the Certified Public Accountants Law [注册会计师法] on Friday.
China’s top legislature, the 14th NPC Standing Committee (NPCSC), will convene for its 23rd session from June 23 to 26, the Council of Chairpersons decided on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. According to the agenda proposed by the Council, the session will consider ten legislative bills and four oversight reports, among other business. As usual, we preview the session’s legislative agenda below.
Continue reading “NPCSC Session Watch: Finance Law, Central Bank Reform, Procurement & Trademarks”