Draft amendment to Law on Deputies submitted to top legislature for deliberation

Global Times – China’s national legislature on Wednesday started its annual session. Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, explained a draft amendment to the Law on Deputies to the National People’s Congress and to the Local People’s Congresses at Various Levels.

The law amendment is necessary for developing whole-process people’s democracy and ensuring that people’s congresses and their standing committees at all levels maintain close ties with the people, according to the explanation.

The draft amendment contains 34 articles.

All levels of the standing committees of the people’s congresses should maintain close contact with deputies, supporting and safeguarding their lawful performance of duties and fully utilizing their roles, says the draft.

All levels of governments, supervisory commissions, courts, and procuratorates should strengthen their connections with deputies and listen to their opinions and suggestions.

Further enriching the forms and content of lawmakers’ connection with the public, the draft adds provisions that lawmakers should, based on the principle of proximity, carry out activities to strengthen their connection with the public, listen to, and convey the opinions and suggestions of the people.

“A competent deputy must fulfill their duties in accordance with the law and fully leverage their role as a representative to live up to the trust and expectations of the people,” Xu Dequan, an NPC deputy from North China’s Henan Province, told the Global Times.

Xu said he is fully aware of the importance of having regular connections with people. “Understanding their aspirations, the difficulties they face and the problems they need resolving, deputies can thereby put forward high-quality proposals and suggestions that carry the interests of the people.”

The amendment to the Law on Deputies to the National People’s Congress and to the Local People’s Congresses at Various Levels was submitted on November 4, 2024 to the 12th session of the NPC Standing Committee for deliberation.

And by the end of December 2024, the 13th session of Standing Committee of the 14th NPC decided to submit the draft amendment to the Law on Deputies to the National People’s Congress and Local People’s Congresses at All Levels to the third session of the 14th NPC for further deliberation, and entrusted Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, to make explanatory remarks to the NPC session.

Shen Chunyao, director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, said “it is necessary to summarize the practical experience of NPC deputies’ work in the new era and amend and improve the Law on Deputies in a timely way.”