Backgrounder: Power of Supervision of the National People's Congress

The nature of the power of supervision of the National People's Congress (NPC) and its Standing Committee is to impose restrictions on other national political organs and ensure that the government be run in accordance with the will of the people.

The power of supervision of the NPC and its Standing Committee,as defined by the Constitution, includes supervising the enforcement of the Constitution and laws and supervising the work

of the State Council, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

To be more specific, the NPC and its Standing Committee supervise the enforcement of the Constitution, while people's congresses and their standing committees at local levels ensure

that the Constitution, laws, administrative regulations and decisions by people's congresses and their standing committees at higher levels be abided by and enforced in their respective regions.

Another aspect of the supervisory function of the NPC and its Standing Committee is to see whether or not the work of the State Council, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's

Procuratorate accords with the Constitution and laws, whether or not they appropriately implement the principles and policies of the Communist Party of China and the State, and whether or not

relevant officials do their jobs competently. Supervision also covers the examination and approval (or non-approval) of the national economic and social development plan and its implementation at the national or local level, the examination and approval (or non-approval) of the fiscal budget and its implementation at the national or local level, and the election,

appointment and dismissal of government officials.

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