Rules for Component Members of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (2023)

Article 1

These Rules are enacted based on practical experience, according to the Constitution and the provisions of relevant laws, and in order to step up the development of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and facilitate duty performance and work of the component members of the Standing Committee.

Article 2

Component members of the Standing Committee shall comply with these Rules in performing their duties and carrying out work.

Component members of the Standing Committee include the Chairperson, Vice-Chairpersons, the Secretary-General, and the Standing Committee members.

Article 3

Component members of the Standing Committee shall uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China, stay committed to the guidance of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, as well as Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and perform their duties and carry out work in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and laws.

Component members of the Standing Committee shall take a clear political stance and uphold the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership; acquire a deep understanding of the decisive significance of establishing Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and establishing the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; become more conscious of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the Party Central Committee; stay confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics; uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Party Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership; be more purposeful in closely following the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in thinking, political stance, and action; and adhere to the Party leadership in implementing the people's congress work in all aspects and across the whole process.

Article 4

Component members of the Standing Committee shall shoulder the responsibility of upholding and improving the system of people's congresses; maintain political resolve, serve the people, respect the rule of law, promote democracy, and stay diligent and responsible; and actively work on building the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee into a political institution that conscientiously upholds the Party's leadership, an institution of state power that ensures the country being run by the people, a working institution that fully assumes functions conferred by the Constitution and laws, and a representative institution that always maintains close ties with the people.

Article 5

Component members of the Standing Committee shall adhere to the people-centered approach and practice the whole-process people's democracy, safeguard the fundamental interests and common will of the people, serve the people wholeheartedly, defend social equality and justice, and conscientiously accept supervision by the people.

Article 6

Component members of the Standing Committee shall be allegiant to the Constitution, observe the Constitution and laws in an exemplary way, safeguard the authority of the Constitution, protect the unity, dignity and authority of socialist rule of law, and promote the law-based governance on all fronts, in an effort to build China into a socialist nation under the rule of law.

Article 7

Component members of the Standing Committee shall adhere to the principle of democratic centralism, give full play to democracy, and exercise power and make decisions in a collective manner.

Article 8

Component members of the Standing Committee shall be committed and honest in the performance of their duties and stay true to the original aspirations and founding missions with a strong sense of responsibility.

Component members of the Standing Committee shall appropriately balance their duties as component members and other work they undertake.

Article 9

Component members of the Standing Committee shall strictly observe the Party's political discipline and political rules, implement the eight-point decision of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on improving Party and government conduct, and improve their style of work. They shall seek truth from facts, and stand firmly against the practice of formalities for formalities sake, and against bureaucracy.

Component members of the Standing Committee shall strictly comply with the regulations on performing official duties with integrity, be devoted to public duties and maintain integrity in serving the public. Never shall they pursue their personal gains by abusing their office or interfere with any judicial case.

Article 10

Component members of the Standing Committee shall improve their performance of duties through continuous learning, including lectures on particular topics arranged by the Standing Committee and other forms of learning. They shall combine learning with practice and apply what they learn, in an effort to enhance their performance capabilities and skills on an ongoing basis.

Component members of the Standing Committee shall prioritize the following contents in the course of learning:

(1) Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping's thinking on the rule of law and his key ideas on upholding and improving the system of people's congresses;

(2) guidelines, principles, policies and resolutions of the Party;

(3) the Constitution and laws;

(4) theories and practices of the system of people's congresses;

(5) theories and practices of the Chinese path to modernization; and

(6) legal expertise and other expertise entailed by the performance of duties.

Article 11

Component members of the Standing Committee shall fulfill their duties in accordance with the law, abiding by the statutory procedures and the discipline during meetings and striving for higher work quality and efficiency.

Article 12

Component members of the Standing Committee shall attend the meetings of the Standing Committee. In the case of absence due to illnesses or other reasons, a written leave shall be handed through the General Office of the Standing Committee to the chairperson of the Standing Committee.

The General Office shall report to the chairperson on the component members' attendance at each meeting, as well as the reasons for their absence.

The General Office shall print and distribute the briefing on attendance of each meeting to the component members of the Standing Committee.

Article 13

Component members of the Standing Committee shall observe the rules of procedure and other relevant regulations at all kinds of meetings of the Standing Committee.

Article 14

Component members of the Standing Committee shall make preparations for deliberating the items on the agenda of the meeting of the Standing Committee prior to the meeting.

At a meeting of the Standing Committee, component members of the Standing Committee shall deliberate proposals, reports, and other items on the agenda, contribute their opinions, and spare no effort in all aspect of work.

Article 15

Component members of the Standing Committee shall center their speeches at the plenary meetings, joint group meetings and group meetings of the Standing Committee on the set agendas of the meetings.

Article 16

Component members of the Standing Committee present at a meeting shall fulfill the statutory duty of voting and obey the lawful voting results.

After the person presiding over the meeting announces that a proposal is put to the vote, component members of the Standing Committee shall not utter their opinions on the proposal anymore, except for the procedure issues relating to the vote.

Article 17

Component members of the Standing Committee shall maintain close ties with the people, heed the opinions and needs of the people through all channels, report on such situations to the Standing Committee, and respond to the calls of the people.

Component members of the Standing Committee shall meet the requirement of staying in contact with deputies to the National People's Congress and shall especially enhance their ties with those deputies at grassroots level, in a bid to fully heed, absorb and relay opinions and suggestions of National People's Congress deputies.

Article 18

Component members of the Standing Committee shall step up and improve the practice of investigations and studies. They shall, by probing into the facts, reaching out to communities, and engaging with the people, strive to find out the truth and pinpoint the problems, so that all aspects of work are carried out to benefit people's lives on the basis of close connection with the people, understanding of public concerns, and pooling of their wisdom.

Component members of the Standing Committee shall participate in the law enforcement inspections, inspection tours, and research tours organized by the Standing Committee in accordance with the regulations, in the course of which they may raise suggestions, criticisms and opinions, but shall not handle relevant issues directly.

Component members of the Standing Committee shall, in law enforcement inspections, inspection tours, and research tours, strictly abide by regulations and requirements of the Party Central Committee, limiting the number of accompanying persons and practicing strict economy.

Article 19

Component members of the Standing Committee who also hold positions in special committees shall actively undertake work in the special committees and obey the rules and regulations of work there.

Article 20

Component members of the Standing Committee shall guard the state secrets and work secrets, and shall not, in any form, release anything that ought not to be disclosed.

Article 21

In foreign affairs activities, component members of the Standing Committee shall abide by relevant discipline in an exemplary way and protect the dignity and interests of the state.

Article 22

Component members of the Standing Committee shall actively promote the system of people's congresses, and communicate to the world on China's democracy and rule of law.

Article 23

In the event that a component member of the Standing Committee seriously violates these Rules, he shall hand his self-criticism in writing to the Council of Chairpersons. Any component member of the Standing Committee who violates laws and discipline shall be dealt with in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.

Article 24

These Rules shall go into effect as of the date of promulgation.