Legislative powers of NPC, its Standing Committee

BEIJING  -- The legislative powers of the National People's Congress (NPC) and its Standing Committee are defined by the Constitution of China.

-- To amend the Constitution (In China, amendments to the Constitution are to be proposed by the Standing Committee of the NPC or by more than one-fifth of all deputies to the NPC and adopted by a majority affirmative vote of more than two-thirds of all the deputies);

-- To enact and amend statutes concerning criminal offenses and civil affairs;

-- To enact and amend statutes concerning State organs, which generally refer to various kinds of organic laws; and

-- To enact and amend basic statutes concerning other matters, such as laws on election, nationality and marriage.

The NPC Standing Committee exercises the following legislative powers:

-- To enact and amend statutes other than those that must be enacted by the NPC;

-- To enact, when the NPC is not in session, partial supplements and amendments to basic statutes enacted by the NPC provided that they do not contravene the basic principles of these statutes;

-- To interpret the Constitution and statutes;

-- To annul administrative rules and regulations, decisions and orders of the State Council that contravene the Constitution or the statutes; and

-- To annul local regulations or decisions of the governmental organs of provinces, autonomous regions and centrally-administered municipalities that contravene the Constitution, the statutes or the administrative rules and regulations.

• 家電下鄉Home appliances going to the countryside
• 中小型企業 SMEs
• 教育公平 Equal Access to Education

• “兩會”熱詞 Popular words
• "三農"Issues of agriculture, farmer and rural area
• 農村留守人口 Rural Left-Behind Population
• 提案 proposal
• 大三通 Three Direct Links
• more

• Crisis 'can bring China, US closer'
• China's growth significant for world economy
• Lawmakers highlight 'Scientific Outlook'
• Food law a healthy start
• Feeling the pinch of sagging prices
• more

• World media keeps close watch on 'two sessions'
• World stock markets rise amid China stimulus hopes
• Bosses urged to help with labor stability
• CPPCC to address economy, stimulus
• more

• Corruption top issue for public
• China adopts Food Safety Law
• China's economic growth in 2009
• more