The following is the full text of the Report on the Work of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), delivered by NPC Standing Committee Chairman Wu Bangguo for deliberation at the Fifth Session of the Tenth NPC here on Sunday:

REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS

Delivered at the Fifth Session of the Tenth National People's Congress on March 11, 2007

Wu Bangguo Chairman of the Standing Committee of the

National People's Congress Fellow Deputies,

On behalf of the Standing Committee of the Tenth National People's Congress (NPC) I now present this report on its work for your deliberation and approval. Main Accomplishments of Last Year

We thoroughly put into practice the Scientific Outlook on Development and got off to a good start in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan in 2006. The Standing Committee last year followed the guidelines set out at the Fourth Session of the Tenth NPC in diligently carrying out its duties closely centered around the overall work of the Party and the government, making new achievements in all its work and making further contributions to the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and building a harmonious socialist society.

I. Further progress was made in legislative work.

The Standing Committee made further progress in its legislative work last year. It deliberated and approved 24 draft laws or decisions on legal issues, 14 of which were passed and 5 of which were submitted to this session for your deliberation and approval. This marks a solid step toward achieving the goals for this NPC's legislative work.

1. Appropriate solutions were found to some difficulties in legislation, the Law on Oversight was promulgated and implemented, and the draft Law on Property Rights was submitted to this session for deliberation and approval. The Law on Oversight, which is strongly political in nature, is related to the country's political system and system of government. Formulation of the Law on Oversight was one of the major legislative acts of the NPC. Work actually began on this law at the Sixth NPC and continued for the next two decades. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) paid close attention to the formulation of the Law on Oversight, listening to a number of special reports. General Secretary Hu Jintao presided over a forum of non-Party dignitaries to directly solicit opinions from the democratic parties, leaders of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and persons without party affiliation and deliver an important speech. In his speech, he thoroughly elucidated the importance of strengthening the oversight work of people's congresses, fully analyzed the necessity of formulating the Law on Oversight, emphasized the major principles that must be observed in the formulation work, and clarified the orientation for formulating the law.

The Standing Committee showed a keen sense of responsibility to the Party and the people in listening to a wide range of opinions and carrying out numerous studies and discussions before making major revisions to the draft Law on Oversight on the basis of a review of actual experience. First, the regulatory scope of the Law on Oversight was clarified by changing the Law on Oversight by the People's Congresses to the Law on Oversight by the Standing Committees of the People's Congresses. Second, the form and procedures for oversight were improved, focusing on standardizing the areas that the standing committees of people's congresses at all levels showed most concern about and most hoped would be standardized. Two main points were taken into consideration in making this revision: The first is that the Constitution already clearly defines the oversight functions and powers of the NPC and local people's congresses at all levels and the form and procedures for oversight. The other is that the Constitution categorically stipulates that the standing committees of people's congresses are responsible for exercising regular oversight over the people's governments, the people's courts and the people's procuratorates. Moreover, what local governments were exploring ways to standardize was mainly the oversight work of the standing committees of people's congresses. It should be pointed out here that local governments had been making valuable explorations of the way to strengthen the oversight work of people's congresses for years, providing actual experience to help in formulating the Law on Oversight and making a positive contribution to the effort. The Law on Oversight adopted by the Standing Committee fully embodies the organic unity of the leadership of the Party, the position of the people as masters of the country and the running of the government according to the rule of law; correctly balances stronger oversight by people's congresses with the leadership of the Party; correctly balances stronger oversight by people's congresses with support for carrying out the work of the people's governments, the people's courts and the people's procuratorates in accordance with the law; upholds the principles of democratic centralism, collective exercise of functions and powers, collective decision making and acting in accordance with the law and prescribed procedures; and is in line with conditions in China and the actual work situation of people's congresses. The promulgation and implementation of the Law on Oversight reflects the collective wisdom of the NPC deputies, members of the Standing Committee, the deputies to local people's congresses at all levels, experts and scholars and is of great significance for standing committees of people's congresses at all levels in the lawful exercise of their oversight functions and powers, improving the oversight mechanism, strengthening and improving oversight work, making oversight more effective, and giving more play to the characteristics and strengths of the system of people's congresses. (More)