Lawmakers to review several public health bills

BEIJING -- China's top legislature will review a number of bills related to public health at its upcoming regular session, a spokesperson said Wednesday.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), to be in session from April 26 to 29, will deliberate a draft biosecurity law, a draft revision to the law on animal epidemic prevention and a draft revision to the law on the prevention and control of environmental pollution by solid waste.

The draft biosecurity law will be submitted for the second reading, said Yue Zhongming, spokesperson for the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee.

It will improve the prevention and control systems for new and emergent major infectious diseases in response to the problems exposed by the COVID-19 epidemic, Yue said.

The draft law will also strengthen the prevention and control of all kinds of biosecurity-related risks, he added.

The draft revision to the law on the prevention and control of environmental pollution by solid waste will strengthen the management of medical wastes in major epidemics, according to the spokesperson.

The draft revision to the law on animal epidemic prevention will strengthen accountability in animal epidemic prevention by clarifying the responsibilities of businesses, regulators and local governments, Yue said.

Yue said that the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee has drafted a special working plan to strengthen the public health legislation.

It is the first such plan for a specific area made by the NPC Standing Committee, Yue said.