China’s top legislative bodies to meet early next month

BEIJING: The 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature will start its annual session on March 5, an official statement said.

The 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's national political advisory body, will begin its annual session on March 3. A press center for the two sessions will open on Feb. 27, said the statement jointly issued by the general offices of the NPC Standing Committee and the CPPCC National Committee. "We welcome journalists at home and abroad to report the two sessions," the statement said.

Meanwhile, a draft of China's foreign investment law will be submitted to the upcoming plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC). Once adopted, the unified law will replace three existing laws on Chinese-foreign equity joint ventures, non-equity joint ventures (or contractual joint ventures) and wholly foreign-owned enterprises.

The foreign investment law will be a basic law in that field, and its drafting is an important move in implementing the strategy of further opening-up made by the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the decision adopted by the NPC Standing Committee.

The drafting of the foreign investment law is also necessary in help with China's efforts to attract more foreign investment, protect foreign investors' legitimate rights and interests, foster an environment favorable to doing business, as well as provide legal guarantee to opening-up at a higher level, according to the document.

Presiding over the closing meeting, Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said there was a consensus among the standing committee members on the significance and urgency of drafting the foreign investment law. Standing Committee members agreed that the content of the draft was basically mature and the draft demonstrated China's resolute determination to open wider to the world, Li said.