China formulates 36 new laws since 2021

The National People's Congress (NPC) and its standing committee have enacted a total of 36 new laws since 2021, a senior Chinese legislator told reporters on Friday.

Since 2021, the NPC, China's top legislative body, and its standing committee, also made 63 revisions to existing laws, passed 35 decisions on legal issues and major matters, and issued one legal interpretation, said Shen Chunyao, director of the NPC Standing Committee's Legislative Affairs Commission, at a press conference on the progress of the rule of law during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025).

Currently, China has 306 laws in effect, more than 600 administrative and supervisory regulations, and over 14,000 local regulations, according to Shen.

Legislative work over the past five years was conducted with the following aims: to facilitate high-quality economic development, create a favorable internal and external environment for all causes, enhance legal institutions to improve people's livelihoods, and reinforce the legal guarantee for environmental protection, Shen said.

Focusing on these aspects, China has enacted a series of key laws, such as the private economy promotion law, the anti-foreign sanctions law, the personal information protection law and the Yellow River protection law, said Shen.

He Xiaorong, vice president of the Supreme People's Court, said Chinese courts have concluded more than 5.23 million criminal cases in first-instance trials during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, delivering a heavy blow to illegal activities such as organized crime, telecom and online fraud, and cyber-bullying.

The handling of these cases provides robust judicial support for building a peaceful China and advancing the rule of law, said He.

A total of 2.34 million intellectual property cases have been concluded during the same period, which aims to create a favorable legal environment for innovation and creativity, He added.