37 draft laws set for first review this year

Monopoly and public health among issues covered by legislation plan

Thirty-seven draft laws are planned to be submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, for first review this year, a senior legislator said.

"We're facing a heavier legislative task this year," Zang Tiewei, a spokesman for the NPC Standing Committee's Legislative Affairs Commission, told a news conference on Thursday.

According to the 2021 legislation plan released on Wednesday, the 37 draft laws include those addressing monopolistic behavior, enterprise bankruptcy, noise pollution control, infectious disease prevention and responses to public health emergencies.

The plan was made to implement requirements raised by the central leadership and to focus on the nation's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) for Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, Zang said.

"It also aims to promote people's livelihood and improve their sense of happiness," he added. "Meanwhile, we're preparing to launch the compilation of some administrative codes based on legislative experience from the making of the Civil Code."

The plan, published on the NPC Standing Committee's website, shows the codes will include ones on the environment and education.

Seventeen other draft laws, including those on protecting wild animals and combating organized crimes, are set for further deliberation this year.

Zang said a draft law on personal information protection, legislation that garnered a lot of public attention after it was released last year, will be given a second review at next week's NPC Standing Committee session.

He said new content added to the draft aims to protect the personal information of the deceased.

The draft further clarifies that individuals or organizations cannot refuse to offer products or services to users who do not provide personal information, underscoring that those handling personal information should fully inform users and get their permission before collecting, storing or using the information, Zang said.

A high-profile draft law on preventing food waste will also be submitted to the session for second review, he said, with some additions focused on making implementation more practical.

Lawmakers will also deliberate on several other draft laws next week, including those on promoting rural vitalization, data security and the Hainan Free Trade Port, Zang added.