Lawmakers hope harsh new penalties will force drunken drivers off the nation's roads and are set to pass legislation that will mean drunks could lose their licenses for up to 10 years and face fines of up to 5,000 yuan ($766).
The draft amendment to the current drunken-driving regulations is now before the nation's top legislature.
Under the proposed new rules, ordinary drunken drivers will not be able to recover their licenses for five years if they are revoked and will be fined 2,000 yuan.
The current regulation calls for fines of up to 500 yuan and driving licenses to be suspended for between three and six months.
The amendment also proposes that for-profit drivers should face even harsher punishments for drunken driving, with a 10-year license revocation and 5,000-yuan fines.
Drunken drivers who cause "major road accidents that constitute a crime" will be banned from driving for life.
The draft amendment to the Law on Road Traffic Safety has been submitted to the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee for review at its bimonthly session on Wednesday.
If adopted, the revised law will ensure punishments are as severe as they are in some Western countries.
In Australia, repeat offenders can be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and have their name listed on the Drunken Driving and Imprisonment column in local newspapers.
In the United States, punishments for drunken driving differ from place to place. In general, first-time drunken drivers who do not flee or cause casualties lose their license for six months and face fines of between $1,500 and $1,800.
Some states have introduced special measures to prevent drunks getting behind the wheel. In Washington DC, drivers are forced to watch educational films about road accidents. In California, repeat offenders are ordered to visit a mortuary to see people who have died in car accidents.
Members of the NPC Standing Committee, however, were divided over economic penalties. While some supported the change, others argued a nationwide standard might be too much.