Establish a socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics

Last year was a key year for reaching the goal of creating a socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics by 2010.

-- The NPC Standing Committee revised the Electoral Law of the National People's Congress and Local People's Congresses, which proposes electing deputies to people's congresses based on the same population ratio in urban and rural areas and assures an appropriate number of deputies from every locality, ethnic group, and sector.

-- The NPC Standing Committee enacted the Law on Tort Liability, the Law on Mediation and Arbitration of Rural Land Contract Management Disputes, the National Defense Mobilization Law, the Law on the People's Armed Police Force, the Law on Diplomatic Personnel Stationed Abroad, and the Law on the Protection of Offshore Islands. It revised the procedural rules for the Standing Committee, the Postal Law, the Statistics Law, and the Copyright Law, and passed a decision granting jurisdiction over Hengqin Island, where the new campus of the University of Macao is located, to the Macao Special Administrative Region.

-- The NPC Standing Committee repealed eight laws and decisions on related legal issues, revised 141 clauses of 59 laws, and identified a number of other laws that clearly need to be revised.

-- This year, the Standing Committee will finish deliberating and revising the draft Social Security Law, continue to deliberate the draft Law on Administrative Enforcement, submit for deliberation the draft VAT Law and the draft Law on Vehicle and Vessel Tax, research and formulate a People's Mediation Law, Law on Education and Correction of Illegal Acts, Law on the Application of Laws to Civil Relationships Involving Foreign Interests, and Law on the Protection of Our Natural Heritage, and urge relevant authorities to promptly draw up drafts for laws, including the Law on Basic Medical and Health Care and the Social Assistance Law.

-- The Standing Committee will revise the Law on Deputies to the People's Congress and the Organic Law of Villagers' Committees, the Administrative Supervision Law and the Budget Law, continue to deliberate the draft amendment to the Law on State Compensation, research revisions to the Land Administration Law, Forest Law, Water and Soil Conservation Law, Law on the Prevention and Treatment of Occupational Diseases, and Law on Officers in the Reserve Forces.

-- The Standing Committee will supervise and guide the State Council and local people's congresses in thoroughly amending their existing administrative regulations and local statutes and completing the work by the end of the year, ensure NPC deputies fully play their role in legislative work, expand the orderly participation of our citizens in the legislative process, and continue to improve the filing and examination of normative documents.