Major Tasks for This Year

The year 2016 represents the first year of our decisive push to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. The overall requirements for the work of the NPC Standing Committee this year are as follows: hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics; comprehensively implement the guiding principles of the 18th National Party Congress and the third, fourth, and fifth plenary sessions of the 18th CPC Central Committee; follow the guidance of Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development; fully put into practice the guiding principles from General Secretary Xi Jinping's major policy addresses; work in accordance with the overall plan for promoting all-round economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress and the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy; firmly establish and put into effect the new vision of innovative, coordinated, green, open, and shared development; remain committed to integrating leadership by the Party, the position of the people as masters of the country, and the law-based governance of the country; perform our functions and powers in accordance with the law; carry out our work actively and diligently, with a focus on legislation and oversight; and make new contributions to helping China secure a good beginning to economic and social development in the 13th Five-Year Plan period and clinch a momentous victory in its decisive push to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

1. Strengthening and improving legislative work under the new circumstances and accelerating the formation of a complete framework of laws and regulations

The rule of law constitutes a robust guarantee for development. The Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee called for accelerated efforts to bring economic and social development in line with the rule of law. The Standing Committee must fully enforce the revised Legislation Law and the adjusted legislative plan; focus and work effectively on legislation in key areas; make, revise, repeal, or interpret laws when necessary; and work to promote implementation of the new vision of development through legislation. We will make in-depth efforts to legislate effectively and democratically, become cognizant of and abide by the natural laws that surround legislative work, and pay extra attention to raising the quality of legislation, so as to ensure that every piece of legislation accords with the guiding principles of the Constitution, reflects the will of the people, and wins their support, and that we have good laws to promote development and ensure good governance.

1) We will improve the legal system underpinning the socialist market economy.

Focusing on the goal of ensuring the market plays the decisive role and the government better plays its role in resource allocation, we will strengthen the rule of law in economic and social development and in the operation of the market economy. We will formulate general provisions of civil law in order to improve the basic system of civil law. We will work on a law on environmental protection tax, a tonnage tax law, a tobacco leaf tax law, a grain law, and an asset valuation law. We will revise the Securities Law and the Law on Promoting Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. With a continued commitment to green development and ecological progress, we will revise the Law on the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution, the Law on the Protection of the Marine Environment, and the Wildlife Protection Law, in a bid to put in place the most rigorous possible system for ecological conservation and environmental protection.

2) We will coordinate legislative work in social and cultural fields.

In an effort to strengthen and make innovations in social governance, we will work on a law on traditional Chinese medicine and a community correction law and revise the Law on the Promotion of Privately-Run Schools and the Law on the Red Cross Society. To deepen the reform of the cultural sector, we will formulate a law for guaranteeing public cultural services and a law on promoting the film industry. To promote integrated military-civilian development and deepen the reform of national defense and the armed forces, we will work on a law on transportation for national defense purposes and revise the Law on Officers on Active Service. To push forward anti-corruption legislation, we will formulate a law on international criminal judicial assistance and explore possible revisions to the Law on Administrative Supervision. We will also work on a law on the management of international NGOs in China and a cyber-security law.

3) We will take necessary steps to authorize trial reforms.

Acting in line with the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee, we will make law-based, timely decisions to authorize pilot reform projects so as to ensure that reform moves forward in line with the rule of law. We will carefully deliberate the mid-term and end-of-term reports of authorized pilot projects, conduct in-depth reviews and appraisals of practices developed in the projects and their effects, promote the spread of applicable practices to other areas in accordance with the law, and revise and improve the relevant laws at appropriate junctures.

4) We will ensure that the NPC plays the dominant role in legislative work.

In upholding the Party's leadership over legislative work, the Leading Party Members' Group of the Standing Committee will promptly request instructions from and submit reports to the CPC Central Committee on major issues and tasks in legislation, and will carry out the relevant tasks in accordance with the legally prescribed procedures. We will enhance the NPC's role in organizing, coordinating, and providing overall guidance for legislative work; further develop the mechanisms under which special committees of the NPC and working bodies of the Standing Committee organize the drafting of important laws; and keep the relevant departments on track in organizing the drafting of laws as scheduled in the legislative plan. We will work to ensure that legislative bodies play their important role of voicing, balancing, and adjusting the interests of different sectors of society. We will improve the systems for legislative debate, hearing, and evaluation; establish a mechanism of debates and consultations on any major adjustments affecting different interests that may result from legislation; and formulate procedures for collecting and discussing legislative items.