Rules of Procedure for the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China

(Adopted at the Second Session of the Seventh National People's Congress on April 4, 1989; amended according to the Decision of the National People's Congress on Revising the Rules of Procedure for the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China at the Fourth Session of the Thirteenth National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China on March 11, 2021)

Contents

Chapter I    Holding of Meetings

Chapter II    Submission of and Deliberation on Bills and Proposals

Chapter III   Deliberation of Work Reports and Examination of State Plans and Budgets

Chapter IV  Election, Recall, Appointment, Removal from Office, and Resignation of Members of State Organs

Chapter V    Addressing of Questions and Inquiries

Chapter VI    Investigation Committees

Chapter VII   Speaking and Voting

Chapter VIII   Announcement

Chapter IX    Supplementary Provision

Chapter  I

Holding of Meetings

Article 1  These Rules are formulated in accordance with the Constitution, the Organic Law of the National People's Congress and the practical experience of the National People's Congress.

Article 2  The National People's Congress shall meet in session in the first quarter of each year. The date of a session shall be determined and announced by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

Under special circumstances, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress may hold a meeting to decide to advance or delay a session for an appropriate time. When the date of convening the advanced or delayed session is not determined in the meeting, the Standing Committee may determine the date in another meeting or authorize its Council of Chairpersons to determine the date, and the date, once determined, shall be announced.

Article 3  Sessions of the National People's Congress shall be convened by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. The first session of each National People's Congress shall be convened by the Standing Committee of the previous National People's Congress within two months of the election of deputies to the current National People's Congress.

Article 4  Sessions of the National People's Congress shall be held only when two thirds or more of deputies are present.

Article 5  The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress shall, before a session of the National People's Congress is held, conduct the following preparatory work for the session:

(1) to submit a draft agenda for the session;

(2) to submit a draft namelist of the Presidium and the Secretary-General;

(3) to decide on the namelist of non-voting participants; and

(4) to make other preparations for the session.

Article 6   A month before the holding of a session of the National People's Congress, its Standing Committee shall notify the deputies of the date of the session  and of the main items on the proposed agenda and shall distribute to the deputies the draft laws to be submitted to the session for deliberation.

Before a session of the National People's Congress is convened, its Standing Committee may guide deputies to study and discuss draft laws to be deliberated, invite comments from deputies and brief them on major issues and relevant facts to be discussed in the session.

The provisions of the two preceding paragraphs do not apply to the sessions convened additionally.

Article 7  Before a session of the National People's Congress is held, deputies shall be grouped into delegations based on the units that elected them. The head and deputy-heads of a delegation shall be elected at a general meeting of the delegation. The head of a delegation shall call and preside over the general meetings of the delegation. The deputy-heads shall assist in the work of the head of the delegation.

Each delegation may be subdivided into groups of deputies. The convener of a group shall be elected at a group meeting of deputies.

Article 8  Before a session of the National People's Congress is held, a preparatory meeting shall be convened to elect the Presidium and the Secretary-General, adopt the agenda for the session and make decisions on other preparations for the session.

The preparatory meeting shall be presided over by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. The preparatory meeting of the first session of each National People's Congress shall be conducted by the Standing Committee of the previous National People's Congress.

All delegations shall deliberate and give their opinions on the draft namelist of the Presidium and the Secretary-General, the draft agenda and other matters preparatory to the session submitted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

The Council of chairpersons of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress may, based on the opinions expressed by each delegation, put forward proposals on adjustments in the draft namelist of the Presidium and the Secretary-General, the draft agenda for the session and other matters preparatory to the session and refer them to the preparatory meeting for deliberation.

Article 9  The Presidium shall preside over the sessions of the National People's Congress.

The Presidium shall adopt its decisions by a simple majority vote of all its members.

Article 10  The first meeting of the Presidium shall elect a number of standing chairpersons of the Presidium, and elect some of the members of the Presidium to serve respectively as the executive chairpersons of each plenary meeting of the session, and shall decide on the following matters:

(1)  choice of the Deputy Secretaries-General;

(2)  schedule of the session;     

(3)  deadline for the submission of bills and proposals by deputies in a session; and

(4)  other matters requiring decision by the first meeting of the Presidium.

Article 11 The standing chairpersons of the Presidium shall convene and preside over meetings of the Presidium. The first meeting of the Presidium shall be convened and presided over by the chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. After the standing chairpersons of the Presidium are elected in the first meeting, they shall preside over the meeting.