Lang Sheng, vice-chairman of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, said a universal standard is not appropriate because of the imbalanced economic development between the west and the east of the country.
Yang Huanning, vice-minister of public security, told members of the NPC Standing Committee that more severe punishments were needed because drunken driving makes the roads less safe, endangers lives and has a negative social impact.
Official statistics show that China had more than 200 million automobiles and drivers on the mainland by the end of 2010, with about 20 million vehicles added annually.
And fatal car accidents are on the rise, which has become a major cause of death for Chinese people under 45, triggering heated discussions and calls for stricter penalties. More than 65,000 people were killed in traffic accidents last year.
The tougher punishments, however, sparked questions from the public and academics.
Tong Guangqi, 31, a Beijing-based convenience store owner, told China Daily he supports the reform in terms of raising fines but wonders what constitutes a "major accident".
"After all, driving is one of people's basic rights. A lifetime ban on driving needs further consideration," he said.
His concerns were echoed by Yu Lingyun, a law professor at Tsinghua University, who admitted that the current draft amendment fails to give a clear definition of what kind of accidents will be considered "major".
He said it is important to curb the number of people driving while drunk - a growing problem in recent years - but law enforcement requires a clear judicial interpretation.
Zhang Zhuting, a member of a legal consulting committee under the Ministry of Transport, suggested that various additional measures could also be introduced to cut down on the number of drunken drivers.
"Some Western countries install a machine in cars to test the driver's alcohol consumption that can prevent the engine from starting if the concentration exceeds the legal limit," Zhang said.