China's top legislature schedules standing committee session for late April

Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, presides over the second meeting of the Council of Chairpersons of the 14th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, April 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature, will convene its second session from April 24 to 26 in Beijing.

The decision was made on Friday at a meeting of the Council of Chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee, which was presided over by Zhao Leji, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee.

According to an agenda proposed at the meeting, lawmakers at the upcoming session will deliberate a draft revision to the Counter-Espionage Law, a draft law on ecological conservation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and a draft law on the construction of a barrier-free environment.

Lawmakers will discuss reports from the State Council on the state of the environment and the fulfillment of environmental protection targets for 2022, and on work related to Chinese nationals overseas in the new era.

A draft list for the chairperson, vice chairpersons and members of the credentials committee of the NPC Standing Committee, and some official appointments and dismissals are also set to be reviewed.

Friday's meeting reviewed and passed the highlights of the NPC Standing Committee's work in 2023 as well as the agendas for work on legislation, supervision and deputies support, among other documents.