Top legislature to push constitutional compliance inspections

The top legislature will push constitutional compliance inspections and improve the capacity for reviewing normative documents this year to make sure government regulations are consistent with the Constitution and the law, according to a work report unveiled on Sunday.

"In advancing law-based governance in all fields, we must give high priority to enforcing the Constitution," said the report on the work of the National People's Congress Standing Committee to be delivered by top legislator Zhang Dejiang at a plenary meeting of the NPC on Sunday afternoon.

"We need to make solid moves to ensure enforcement of, and compliance with, the Constitution, increase publicity and education on the Constitution, and raise to a new level our work on promoting the governance of the country based on the Constitution and the law," said the report, which was released to reporters ahead of the meeting.

The report said improvements will be made to the NPC system and capacity for recording and reviewing normative documents, and constitutional compliance inspection will be advanced to resolutely address any inconsistency with the Constitution and the law.

This year is the first year for putting into action all the guiding principles from the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and the year a new NPC and its standing committee assume their duties.

"Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era...we must maintain the unity of Party leadership, the running of the country by the people, and law-based governance," the report said.

To further strengthen oversight work, the top legislature has made plans for inspecting the enforcement of several laws including the Statistics Law, the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law, and the Marine Environment Protection Law this year, according to the report.

A midterm assessment report on the implementation of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) will be heard and deliberated this year, as will reports on the management of State-owned assets, the implementation of major national science and technology programs, the protection of the rights and interests of overseas Chinese, and other major issues. Investigations and research on local government debt and poverty alleviation will be carried out, the report said.

For legislation, the NPC Standing Committee will make a legislative work plan for the coming five years. Steps will be taken to formulate a foreign investment law and an e-commerce law, according to the report.

Legislative efforts in the social and environmental sectors will also be strengthened to formulate a community correction law, a law on promoting basic medical and healthcare, and a law on the prevention and control of soil pollution, the report said.