The National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee has recently launched an inspection on the enforcement of the Foreign Investment Law.

The inspection, the first since the law came into effect on Jan 1, 2020, is expected to help advance the country's drive to deepen reform and the pursuit of higher-level opening-up.

The inspection team will carry out field inspections in eight provincial-level regions from July to mid-August, according to the first plenary session of the team held in Beijing on June 30.

In addition, standing committees of local people's congresses in another eight provincial-level regions will be assigned to carry out their own respective inspections in this regard.

The inspections will focus on seven aspects including the implementation of pre-establishment national treatment plus negative list management for foreign investment, efforts in investment facilitation, protection of foreign investors' legitimate rights and interests, and the law's alignment and consistency with related regulations.

The team plans to hold the second plenary session in mid-September to discuss the report on the law enforcement inspection, which will be heard and deliberated by the NPC Standing Committee in October.