NPC Deputies Meet in Third PlenumThe ongoing Fourth Session of the National People's Congress (NPC) held its third plenary meeting Friday to hear a report on the work of the NPC Standing Committee by Chairman Li Peng and an explanation of the draft of the amendments to the Law on Sino-Foreign Joint Venture by Gu Angran, chairman of the Commission of Legislative Affairs of the NPC Standing Committee.The meeting also adopted the methods of voting for the current NPC session. Communist Party of China (CPC) and state leaders Jiang Zemin, Zhu Rongji, Li Ruihuan, Hu Jintao, Wei Jianxing and Li Lanqing were present at the plenum chaired by Jiang Chunyun. NPC Chairman Li Peng said that the NPC Standing Committee adopted 14 laws, a decision on legal matters, and a judicial interpretation over the past year. The top legislative body is still studying 12 draft laws, Li said. The NPC and its standing committee have since reform and opening up promulgated over 300 laws or decisions on legal matters; the State Council issued more than 800 administrative decrees; local people's congresses made over 8,000 local laws and regulations. All these go to form an initially complete legal system with Chinese characteristics. Li stressed the importance of strengthening oversight, saying that the NPC standing committee will make anti-corruption and advocacy for clean government an organic part of relevant laws. Whether or not a law is favorable to the fight against corruption and the building of clean government should be an important part of argumentation in making laws. In the new year, the NPC Chairman said, the NPC Standing Committee will organize checks on the enforcement of laws and special hearings on major problems concerning social and economic development. In his report on revising the Sino-Foreign Joint Venture Law, Gu said the move was taken to keep up with the changing situation and meet the requirements for opening up and for the accession to the WTO. The amendments including the scrapping of such restrictive clauses as those requiring joint ventures to report their production plans to designated authorities and give priority to Chinese raw and other materials in their procurement. Today's session adopted the secret ballot rules for co-opting four members to the NPC Standing Committee. Present at today's plenary meeting were 2,750 NPC deputies. Foreign diplomatic envoys and other diplomats in China were invited to the meeting as observers. |
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