Robust legislative process underpins development achievements and progress: China Daily editorial

It is no coincidence that those disparaging the National People's Congress and almost all Chinese State organs as rubber-stamp agencies are also those peddling the "China threat" theory that China will leverage its fast-growing national strengths to "threaten" the "civilized world". Or that while trying to get people to swallow their "China collapse" forecast, they shun the question of how a country with such a supposedly rigid and dysfunctional system can continually achieve its obvious and remarkable development achievements.

If the anti-China parrots bothered to take a look at the packed and meaningful agenda of the annual session of the NPC, the country's top legislature, they would have a more objective view on the answer to the question they sidestep.

For instance, in its closing meeting in Beijing on Tuesday afternoon, the third session of the 14th NPC voted on a draft resolution on the Government Work Report, a draft decision on amending the Law on Deputies to the NPC and to the Local People's Congresses at Various Levels, a draft resolution on the implementation of the 2024 plan for national economic and social development and the 2025 plan for national economic and social development, a draft resolution on the execution of the central and local budgets for 2024 and the central and local budgets for 2025, and draft resolutions on the work reports of the NPC Standing Committee, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

A look into any of these documents present on each of the lawmakers' desks would indicate that China's political system is by no means what the China vultures try to portray to the world. By exercising legislative power, making decisions on major issues, and supervising other State organs, the NPC plays a vital role in the nation's political system.

The NPC is obliged to ensure the country's laws and legal system meet the needs of the time. In the process of development, the rule of law has been established as a fundamental principle for the governance of the country.

Over the past year, the 14th NPC Standing Committee reviewed 39 bills and passed 24 of them, including six laws, 14 amendments to laws, and four decisions on legal and major issues, laying a solid foundation for the country's pursuit of high-quality development.

For instance, it is working on formalizing a unified energy law to consolidate existing regulations and address emerging challenges in the energy sector to better safeguard national energy security and promote the country's green and low-carbon transformation. It has revised the Mineral Resources Law to promote the rational utilization of mineral resources and development of the sector. It has also reviewed the draft financial stability law and the draft revision to the Anti-Unfair Competition Law, which are aimed at promoting the development of new quality productive forces and establishing a new development pattern.

This year marks the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and the drawing up of the 15th (2026-30), which are key components of China's long-term vision to achieve socialist modernization by 2035 and become a global leader in innovation and technology by mid-century.

The 2025 economic development plan is the stepping stone for the broader strategy to transition from a manufacturing-based economy to a high-tech, innovation-driven economy while addressing the country's social and environmental challenges. The success of these efforts will depend on both domestic reforms, such as supply-side structural reforms and those of the financial and healthcare sectors, and China's ability to overcome the economic headwinds and geopolitical dynamics.

The annual session of the 14th NPC exemplified China's commitment to the country's whole-process people's democracy. As the nation embarks on the next phase of its development journey — guided by the principles of innovation, sustainability, and inclusivity, and the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China Central Committee with General Secretary Xi Jinping at its core — the NPC Standing Committee will continue to carry out the robust legislative processes that have underpinned the country's development achievements and progress so far, so as to ensure that the 15th Five-Year Plan gets off to a good start.