China's top legislature ends bimonthly session

BEIJING - The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, on Friday wrapped up its bimonthly session, passing two amendments on the Civil Procedure Law and a law on agro-technical popularization.

President Hu Jintao signed presidential decrees to formally declare the decisions.

Set to take effect from Jan 1, 2013, the amended Civil Procedure Law is believed to further streamline the way civil disputes are dealt with and promote social stability and harmony.

According to the amendment, agencies or organizations determined by law can bring litigation against those whose acts undermine public welfare by polluting or infringing on consumers' interests.

It stipulates that judges should not accept gifts or treatment from any interested parties or their attorneys.

"The approval of the amendment is in accordance with the needs of economic and social development as well as the requirement for deepening judicial system reform," Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the NPC, said while presiding over the closing meeting.

Wu urged updating related regulations and judicial explanatory documents in a timely manner and making full efforts to publicize the amended law to ensure its effective enforcement.

The amendment to the Law on the Popularization of Agricultural Technology, to take effect from January 1 next year, explicitly stipulates that the main principle for agro-technical popularization is to help the sustainable development of agriculture and the rural economy as well as to increase farmers' income.

All government-run agro-technical popularization institutions should observe their duties for public welfare by offering free agro-technical popularization services to agricultural workers and organizations, the amendment says.

According to Wu, the amendment, which offers more specifics and feasibility to the law, provides a vigorous legal guarantee to promote the utilization of agricultural techniques and push forward agricultural modernization and economic development in rural areas.

Another decision was made through a vote during the session to appoint Yang Chuantang as minister of transport, replacing Li Shenglin.

Yang, 58, has served as the ministry's Party chief since July. He served as the Party chief of the Tibet Autonomous Region from Dec 2004 to May 2006.

Li, 66, served as minister of transport and the ministry's Communist Party of China (CPC) chief from Dec 2005 to July 2012, when he was removed from his post.

While noting that the country's economic and social development is generally seeing a good trend, Wu urged fully anticipating arduousness to realize this year's development goals while focusing on boosting independent innovation, improving people's livelihoods and pushing for the transformation of the economic growth mode.

Wu called for improving and carefully implementing structural tax-reduction policies as well as greater support for the real economy.

Referring to a report on the financial situation of county-level governments, Wu stressed that establishing a scientific and standardized mechanism for guaranteeing adequate financial resources at the county level should be a basic and significant task for deepening the country's financial and tax reform.

According to the report, the financial situation of county governments has improved and their budgets for local public services have notably increased.

Wu urged county-level governments to spell out expenditure responsibilities, and advised them to vigorously develop their regional economy while resolving debt risks.

Also at the session, the top legislature approved the member lists of electoral councils, which will elect deputies from the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao to the upcoming 12th NPC.

A total of 1,621 Hong Kong residents of Chinese nationality, including  Hong Kong's Chief Executive CY Leung, and 365 Macao residents of Chinese nationality, including Macao's Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On, become members of their respective electoral councils after a strict and transparent examination and approval process.

During the five-day session, a report concerning the enforcement of the Law on the Protection of Disabled Persons was also submitted to the top legislature. The report was based on the first national enforcement inspection for the law since it took effect 20 years ago.

According to Wu, lawmakers urged various regions and departments to further increase their investments in the cause of disability, with a special focus on disabled people's basic living conditions, medical treatment, rehabilitation, education, employment and other issues of concern.

The report noted that the disabled remained the country's poorest social group, with over 40 percent in rural areas living below the country's poverty line of 2,300 yuan (about $364) of annual per capita income.

The session also approved the termination of the NPC deputy title of Zhong Mingzhao, an official with an agricultural service center in Jiangmen, South China's Guangdong province.

Another three deputies, Meng Xianzhong, Yang Yongliang and Ruan Zhibo, died of illnesses in May and June, and their NPC deputy titles naturally terminated.

As of Friday, the total number of NPC deputies stood at 2,973.