NPC Chairman: More laws this year

cctv.com 03-10-2004 19:05

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress plans to work on a number of new laws this year, including laws on bankruptcy and the state of emergency, according to the NPC Standing Committee Chairman, Wu Bangguo, in his work report to the plenary session of the Congress this afternoon.

Every year, the top legislative body receives several hundred proposals on law revision or new laws. Wu Bangguo said 12 draft laws were discussed and 10 were approved over the past year. Though only accounting for a small percentage, it's considered more efficient than before. The top legislator also spoke of the improved quality of work.

"We conducted very intensive discussions on every draft. In some new laws, you'll find about one-third of the content had been added to the initial draft. They all need to undergo several discussions to ensure the quality of legislation," Wu said.

However, some NPC deputies pointed out the legislative process is still not efficient enough.

NPC deputy Jin Huiqing said, "I think since the new NPC was elected, they've worked very hard, and the legislative process is faster than ever. But it's not fast enough to suit the development of reform in China. I hope the legislative process can be faster than now."

Wu Bangguo says the NPC will discuss another 27 proposed laws including ones on bankruptcy and the state of emergency. The congress will also amend a number of existing laws, in areas including foreign trade, companies, securities and epidemic prevention and control.

Many NPC deputies say that creating legislation is only half the battle.

According to NPC deputy Zeng Yukang, "When talking about establishing new laws, there's another important issue--implementing existing ones. Though the NPC has been playing a supervisory role in implementing laws and regulations, it's still not enough. A stronger supervision mechanism should be in place."

The issue is among the primary tasks of this year highlighted in Wu Bangguo's report by promising stricter inspection.

"We will focus on supervision and enforcement. We will explore a more effective mechanism to make sure government organs implement the laws in a legal and just manner," Wu said in the report.

The Standing Committee plans to conduct enforcement inspections regarding laws on animal epidemic prevention, land management, compulsory education, trade unions and statistics.

The NPC will soon turn 50. With a half century of development and experiences, the country's top legislative body will continue to move forward in building a mature legal system.

Editor:Xiao  Source:CCTV.com