More frequent NPC meetings now the normal

From Wednesday to Friday, the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress, the nation’s top legislature, will hold its 25th meeting in Beijing.

The committee generally meets once every two months and had last met in December, but it decided to meet again because amendments to the Animal Quarantine Law and Registered Doctor Law — which are of urgent nature — are to be discussed.

This session is further proof of the NPC Standing Committee’s determination to increase efficiency. In 2020, in the backdrop of the novel coronavirus, the committee held nine meetings instead of six, passing key laws such as the law on safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The NPC and its Standing Committee reviewed 51 law drafts, of which nine were introduced and 12 amended; 12 other decisions were made concerning laws and other major issues.

In the past year, the NPC Standing Committee did a fairly good job, efficiently steering whatever the central authorities envisaged, the people expected, and the reform and opening-up policy needed.

Especially, on major issues such as epidemic prevention and control, improvement in Hong Kong’s rule of law, and poverty alleviation, the NPC Standing Committee has played a major role.

The committee has been equally efficient with emergency issues. On Feb 24, 2020, after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, it held an emergency meeting and decided to forbid eating and trading of landbased wild animals.

Some members attended the meeting in person and others through video link to reduce infection risks. It also cut the number of journalists on site to reduce contact. Given last year’s experience, there is ample reason to believe the NPC will perform even better in the new year.