NPC deputies to deliberate key draft bills

Three significant draft bills closely tied to national economic and social development and the public interest were submitted on Thursday for deliberation to the ongoing fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

The legislative items are a draft environmental code, a draft bill on promoting ethnic unity and progress, and another on national development planning.

Li Hongzhong, vice-chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, delivered explanatory remarks on the drafts on Thursday, stressing their critical roles in fostering development and advancing the rule of law.

While explaining the draft environmental code — China's second formal statutory code after the Civil Code adopted in 2020 — Li said its compilation embodies Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization and is essential for advancing modernization characterized by harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

"Compiling the code is also a crucial step in upholding the comprehensive rule of law and promoting ecological civilization construction in the new era along the path of legal governance," he said.

Li added that the code adopts a people-centered approach, aiming to promote high-quality development, enhance people's well-being and improve the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics.

The draft code contains five sections with 1,242 articles, covering general provisions, pollution prevention and control, ecological conservation, and green and low-carbon development.

While introducing the bill on promoting ethnic unity and progress, Li said the legislation is aimed at strengthening the sense of community for the Chinese nation and consolidating the legal foundation in this field.

The 64-article draft outlines measures to promote interaction, exchange and integration among ethnic groups through education, culture, sports, tourism and the internet. It also calls for promoting harmonious coexistence among all ethnic groups, facilitating population mobility and encouraging integrated development.

In addition, the draft stipulates that organizing, planning or carrying out violent terrorist activities, ethnic separatist activities or religious extremist activities that constitute a crime will incur criminal liability.

This year marks the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period. While introducing the bill on national development planning to NPC deputies, Li said the legislation would help enhance the effectiveness of the national planning system under new circumstances and improve the macroeconomic governance system.

The 38-article draft standardizes the planning workflow by clarifying the roles and responsibilities of various departments, and provides institutional support for the scientific formulation and effective implementation of national development plans within a legal framework.

"It also enriches and expands the forms and channels of democratic participation, better reflecting the principles of development for the people, relying on the people, and ensuring that the benefits of development are shared by the people," Li said.

All three drafts have already been reviewed by the NPC Standing Committee. Generally, in China, a bill becomes law after being deliberated three times by the NPC Standing Committee. Drafts closely related to national development and the public interest also need to be submitted to the plenary session of the NPC for review.

In recent years, the NPC has adopted several important laws, including the Civil Code, the Legislation Law and the Supervision Law.