China elects 2,980 deputies to national legislature

Zhang Dejiang (C, rear), chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), presides over the opening meeting of the 33rd session of the 12th NPC Standing Committee in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 23, 2018. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

A total of 2,980 deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature, have been elected and are awaiting final confirmation.

A report on the election of new NPC deputies, from 35 electoral units across the country, was submitted to the NPC Standing Committee for confirmation Friday.

The deputy name list is scheduled to be published Saturday.

"The deputies to the 13th NPC make up a broad cross-section with each region, ethnic group and sector of society having proper representatives," said Xin Chunying, deputy secretary-general of the NPC Standing Committee, elaborating on the report at the meeting.

The elections were legal and the qualifications of all deputies are valid, according to a commission of the NPC Standing Committee in charge of checking their validity.

Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over the meeting.

Members of the NPC Standing Committee deliberated a report on the work of the 12th NPC Standing Committee, the agenda of the first session of the 13th NPC, the presidium and secretary-general name list, and a name list of non-voting delegates.

They also reviewed an amendment to a 2015 decision on pledging allegiance to the Constitution, a report on the implementation of the Seed Law, and a State Council proposal to extend the adjustment to certain provisions of the securities law to allow reforms that will change the listing system of the Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses from approval-based to registration-based.

The other documents submitted for reading were a report on the qualifications of some NPC deputies and a motion to add new members to the military's election committee, in addition to appointments and dismissals.

Lawmakers agreed that the 12th NPC Standing Committee has performed its duties well during its five-year tenure, with new progress made in theoretical and practical innovations to the system of people's congresses, and in the building of socialist democracy and rule of law, according to a statement issued after panel discussions Friday afternoon.

"The NPC Standing Committee has firmly safeguarded the authority and core status of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core," the statement said.

The committee has introduced a number of important and much-needed laws and law revisions, stepped up supervision of law enforcement, served NPC deputies well and helped improve the work of local people's congresses, according to the statement.

On Friday afternoon, chairman and vice chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee also met and heard results of deliberations on the above mentioned documents. The meeting was presided over by Zhang.

They agreed that these documents would be subject to further deliberation before they are put to vote by the NPC Standing Committee.