The Chief Executive, Sam Hou Fai, will be in Beijing from March 3 to 5 to attend the opening of the Fourth Session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC), an event that will take place on March 5th. During Sam Hou Fai’s absence, Wong Sio Chak, Secretary for Administration and Justice, will be acting as Chief Executive.
The people’s assembly system is China’s fundamental political system. At the top is the NPC, which is the supreme organ of state power.
According to the Constitution, all administrative, supervisory, judicial, and public prosecution organs of the state are created by the people’s assemblies, to which they must report and remain subject to their supervision.
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A central principle of this system, as well as a basic requirement of its institutional design, is that the power of all state organs and their officials is subject to oversight and control mechanisms.
There are more than 2.7 million deputies distributed across the five levels of the people’s assemblies, including nearly 3,000 deputies in the NPC. The system is designed to integrate people from different backgrounds and reflect a diverse representation of society.
Working part-time, deputies at various levels are important channels for giving voice to the people. They have the right and duty to defend the interests of the people and express their demands.
NPC deputies actively participate in state affairs. During the annual plenary session, they review and vote on relevant legal documents and changes in office, such as the election of the President and Vice President of China every five years, in addition to submitting proposals.
Outside the session period, they maintain contact with the people, participate in training activities, and take part in inspections of law enforcement, as well as studies on important or urgent issues. Some are also invited to attend the bimonthly legislative sessions of the NPC Standing Committee, the assembly’s permanent body.
After the annual session closes, the NPC Standing Committee exercises its powers, meeting to deliberate and pass laws, among other matters.
