A number of legislative items concerning the economy and finance are expected to be unveiled and amended this year in a bid to optimize and promote high-quality development, a senior legislator announced on Friday.

Huang Haihua, an official from the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, said at a news conference that the formulation of laws promoting the private sector, maintaining financial stability and improving the quality of arable land have been included in this year's legislative work plan.

At the same time, several other items — including the Anti-Unfair Competition Law, Enterprise Bankruptcy Law, Agriculture Law, Civil Aviation Law and Banking Supervision Law — are also to be revised within this year, said Huang, who is also spokesman for the NPC Standing Committee's Legislative Affairs Commission.

"These legislative projects are conducive to advancing the systematic construction of high-quality development," he added.

For example, the highly anticipated draft private sector promotion law is ready to have its third review by the NPC Standing Committee in its next session, which is scheduled to be held in Beijing from Sunday to Wednesday.

Huang emphasized the necessity and urgency of the draft law, noting that the private sector is an important part of the socialist market economy.

"Its formulation is a crucial decision made by the central leadership, and promoting the continuous, healthy and high-quality development of the private sector is also a major policy that our country has long adhered to," the spokesman said.

In general, a draft in China becomes law after it has been reviewed by the NPC Standing Committee three times.

While focusing on economic and financial legislation, Huang said that lawmakers have also decided to formulate and revise some items closely related to people's livelihoods, national security and public security, in line with the legislative work plan.

He said the NPC Standing Committee is preparing to make laws regarding social assistance, childcare services and atomic energy, with consideration to amend the laws on infectious disease prevention, traffic safety, food safety, prison and cybersecurity.

In the upcoming session, the draft atomic energy law, the draft revision to the Prison Law and the draft amendment to the Law on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases will be submitted to the NPC Standing Committee for review, along with the draft private sector promotion law, Huang said.

Additionally, a draft ecological environment code is about to be reviewed for the first time by lawmakers during the session, with the aim of enhancing the systematic nature, integrity, coordination and effectiveness of China's environmental protection legal system, he said.

"We've integrated current laws related to pollution control into the code for revision. We've also selected the key principles from the regulations concerning river basins, regions, natural resources and biodiversity — as well as those involving the circular economy and energy conservation — in the code to maintain its openness and compatibility."

He added that the need for green and low-carbon development, climate change response, carbon peaking and carbon neutrality have all been considered while compiling the code to fill legal gaps.

[email protected]