Questions regarding China's legal system and the amending of existing laws - particularly after China's entry to the World Trade Organization (WTO) - dominated a Ninth National People's Congress (NPC) press conference today at the Great Hall of the People. The one-and-a-half-hour session was attended by some 360 Chinese and foreign journalists.
The NPC and its Standing Committee are well on their way to fulfilling the goal of designing a socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics within their five-year tenure which ends in October, said Zeng Jianhui, a spokesman for the annual session of the People's Congress attended by some 2,763 delegates from all over China.
As usual, the NPC session will process the work reports of the State Council, the NPC Standing Committee, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate and review and ratify the reports on the plan and budget. Moreover, given the NPC's upcoming reelection next year, this session will also review the draft resolutions on the number of deputies to the Tenth NPC and the question of the reelection and the draft measures on the election of the deputies of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region (SAR) and Macao SAR to the Tenth NPC.
On the issue of law, Zeng Jianhui said China will abide by WTO rules to the letter and honor its commitments to the world trade body by enacting new laws and regulations and revising those incompatible with WTO rules.
Chinese legislators at all levels have been working on revising existing laws and regulations ever since the country joined the WTO late last year. Further, since late 1999 the NPC and its Standing Committee has amended seven laws in line with China's WTO commitments, Zeng said
In the next few years, China will revise quite a number of laws -- making an anti-monopoly law, for instance, and other laws -- according to the requirements of reform and opening up and as part of China's obligations as a WTO member, Zeng said.
Zeng added that the State Council is revising 30 administrative decrees, 25 of which already have been completed; abrogated 12 administrative decrees and terminated the implementation of 34 others. More than 1,000 rules and regulations and policy documents issued by State Council departments also been terminated or revised.
Meanwhile, the People's Congress at the local levels have also been revising laws, rules and regulations and policy documents according to requirements.
In answer to a question from an American reporter, Zeng said that Premier Zhu Rongji will deliver both this year's report and next year's report because his office as premier extends until next March. The question was raised because Premier Zhu's membership in the Standing Committee of the NPC will end this October. Zeng said this situation presents no conflict, and Zhu undoubtedly will appear at the Tenth Session and read the government work report.
Zeng Jianhui also told reporters about the results of this morning's NPC preliminary meeting: 166 deputies were elected to the session's presidium; Tian Jiyun was elected secretary-general of the session. The preliminary meeting was followed by the first meeting of the presidium where chairpersons of the presidium was elected. It was also decided that He Chunlin, Wang Zhongyu, Wang Weicheng, Zeng Jianhui and Ling Jihua act as deputy secretaries-general of the session.
In the question and answer period following Zeng Jianhui's presentation, a Chinese reporter told Zeng that in some places NPC deputies were interfered with as they tried to exercise their duties and rights. She asked Zeng what the central government intended to do about the situation.
Zeng replied that he was aware of cases where the personal freedom of NPC deputies had been restricted and more, that some deputies had even suffered physical attacks - beaten up in retaliation for fulfilling their duties. The NPC Standing Committee will make thorough investigations and urge relevant departments to see those found responsible are dealt with according to the law.
Today's press conference was the first of several such meetings to be held throughout the Congress session from March 5 to 15.
Chinese and foreign journalists also will have access to the opening session, closing session, three other plenary sessions, and some delegation meetings. Also, Premier Zhu Rongji has scheduled a meeting with Chinese and foreign journalists. In addition, there will be five press conferences with briefings from leading officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Development Planning Commission, State Economic and Trade Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and the People's Bank of China.
(china.org.cn By James Liu, staff reporter, March 4, 2002)
