China will continue improving its legal system to facilitate its development at home and enhance its position in the international arena, said Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).

Li made the remarks while delivering a report on the work of the country's national legislature for deliberation at the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC in Beijing on Tuesday.

As many as "17 laws were formulated, 22 laws revised, 10 decisions made on legal and major issues, and six bilateral treaties and international conventions ratified" last year, according to the Standing Committee's work report.

As for the year ahead, the Standing Committee will continue to develop whole-process people's democracy and optimize legislation, supervision and deputy selection mechanisms to improve the NPC, thereby realizing the second centenary goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects, said the report. 

Moreover, the Standing Committee will prepare legal tools for China to tackle international conflicts and stand up for itself in the world, the report said. 

"On major political principles and important issues, we must stand firm," the report said.

"We will upgrade our legal toolkit and develop a more complete system of laws and regulations related to foreign affairs," according to the report.

Furthermore, China will formulate laws on tariffs and taxes, telecom and online fraud, rural collective economic organizations, energy, futures and derivatives in 2022 to support the development of socialist market economy, the report said. 

China will also accelerate legislation related to people's well-being and environment protection, besides formulating laws on food security, protection of the Yellow River and the ecological conservation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

China's annual legislative plan also includes revising the Company Law, the Enterprise Bankruptcy Law, the Anti-Monopoly Law, the Railway Law, the Mineral Resources Law, the Animal Husbandry Law, and the Agricultural Products Quality and Safety Law, according to the report.