Zhang Dejiang (L), chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), speaks while presiding over a seminar on the annual NPC Standing Committee report for deputies in Beijing, held in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)
BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang on Wednesday demanded improvements to the quality of legislation passed by the legislature.
Zhang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), made the remarks when presiding over a seminar on the annual NPC Standing Committee report for deputies in Beijing.
A total of 10 NPC deputies expressed their opinions on the report and the work of the NPC, concluding that the NPC Standing Committee exercised its duties earnestly in the past year and had many achievements.
Zhang said efforts should be made to give more play to deputies and clear the channels of opinion to take the work of the NPC to a higher level.
Deputies present proposed better supervision of local government debt, new legislation on national defense and better implementation of laws on cultural activities.
The opinions and suggestions offered by the deputies should be studied carefully, Zhang said.
He stressed the NPC and its Standing Committee should uphold the authority of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with comrade Xi Jinping as the core with concrete actions.
Efforts should be made to ensure the policies and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee will be effectively implemented in the NPC work, and to greet the 19th National Congress of the CPC with outstanding achievements, Zhang said.
He called for upholding the notion of people-centric development, solving outstanding issues that concern deputies and the people, and increasing the people's sense of gain.
Zhang said he hoped that the NPC deputies could grasp the sentiments of the people and pool their wisdom.
The fifth annual session of the 12th National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, will open on March 5 in Beijing.