China Focus: Legislative efforts highlighted in promoting rule of law

BEIJING -- A group of senior legislators Monday shared their insights on the legislation work and promoting rule of law over the past five years.

Xu Anbiao, vice chairman of Commission for Legislative Affairs of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, highlighted the role of legislation in providing a legal basis for reforms.

"The NPC had issued 21 authorization and reform decisions to support reforms on pilot free trade zones, government review system, rural collective land ownership, financial management and the judicial system," said Xu, at a press conference held on the sidelines of the first session of the 13th NPC.

"It was unprecedented to see 95 laws coordinately revised in 15 batches to correct the inconsistency between existing laws and reform requirements," he said.

Over the last five years, the 12th NPC and its Standing Committee have enacted 12 laws, revised 127 laws, passed 46 decisions on legal questions and other major issues and issued nine legal interpretations, according to a work report submitted to the NPC on Sunday.

"Making authorization decisions is a type of legislation, which is to ensure that all reforms have a legal basis," said Uzhitu, vice chairman of the 12th NPC Financial and Economic Affairs Committee.

Monday is also the last day of the 12th NPC Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, as a new committee under the 13th NPC is expected to be set up by a plenary meeting on Tuesday.

Uzhitu explained that NPC special committees helped with researching and drawing up decisions, as well as evaluating their progress and preparing for future revisions of relevant laws.

"We must tailor legislation to meet the needs of reform and development, ensuring reform is advanced under the rule of law and the rule of law is improved through reform," said the work report.

Xu also briefed on the implementation of the recording and review system on normative documents in accordance with the Constitution.

The 12th NPC Standing Committee examined 1,527 review suggestions from citizens and organizations, said Xu, adding that 92.5 percent of the suggestions were on judicial interpretations.

If any reviewed document was found to be in conflict with the law, its formulating body was urged to make corrections as necessary.

"In most cases, the formulating body would swiftly correct the flawed document during the NPC review, thanks to China's political system, which has a strong central leadership," Xu said.

Wang Chaoying, another vice-chairperson of Commission for Legislative Affairs of the NPC Standing Committee, talked about the legislative efforts to protect courts from administrative interference.

A revision to the Administrative Procedure Law offered courts jurisdiction in cross-regional administrative cases, according to Wang.

The NPC Standing Committee work report highlighted the legislature's "heavy responsibilities in building China into a socialist country of rule of law."

The most recent move made by the NPC to promote the rule of law was an amendment to the Constitution adopted Sunday.