Constitution to be better implemented

A unified platform will be set up to review local laws and government regulations

The top legislature plans to prioritize the establishment of a unified platform to ensure local laws and government regulations are in line with the Constitution and national laws.

Better implementing and enforcing the Constitution, as well as other national laws, is one of the priorities for the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, said Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, as he delivered the committee's report to national legislators at a plenary meeting of the ongoing second session of the 13th National People's Congress on Friday afternoon.

Summing up its work over the past year, Li said the top legislature has gotten off to a good start under the leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core.

"The NPC Standing Committee made studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era the foremost political task," Li said, noting that the move aims to ensure a correct political orientation in NPC work.

Li also highlighted the amended Constitution, saying progress has been made in studying, publicizing, implementing and enforcing the Constitution, thereby demonstrating its legal standing, authority and efficacy. The first session of the 13th NPC adopted an amendment to the Constitution in March last year.

For example, the top legislature has intensified its supervision on all normative documents－such as administrative regulations, rules and judicial interpretations－issued by various government agencies and local legislatures to ensure that they do not conflict with the Constitution and national laws.

Last year, the NPC Standing Committee reviewed 40 administrative regulations, 1,180 local statutes and 18 judicial interpretations, and urged relevant departments to revoke or correct documents that conflicted with the Constitution or laws, according to the report.

"Our aim was to enhance the inspection of constitutional compliance to ensure all systems, principles and rules enshrined in the Constitution are fully implemented," Li said.

This year, the NPC Standing Committee will implement systems for overseeing enforcement of the Constitution and refine the mechanism for constitutional compliance, he said.

A nationally unified platform for recording and reviewing normative documents to find whether administrative regulations, local rules and judicial interpretations conflict with the Constitution or national laws is also expected to be established, he added.

Li Suping, an NPC deputy from Anhui province, applauded the efforts.

"The Constitution can only come to life and be authoritative through enforcement, and I'm glad to see the top legislature has made greater efforts in the implementation of and education on this fundamental law," she said.

She added that the planned national unified platform to review normative documents, as mentioned in the work report, could be an effective move to uphold the authority of laws.

Xinhua contributed to this story.