China's top legislature schedules bi-monthly session

China's top legislature will convene its bi-monthly session from April 24 to 27 in Beijing, mulling several draft laws, amendments and reports.

Legislators will continue to review the draft amendment to the surveying and mapping law; draft amendment to the securities law; and draft law on nuclear safety, and they will review a draft amendment to the standardization law at its first reading during the session, according to a statement issued Tuesday after a meeting of the chairpersons of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).

The chairpersons' meeting was presided over by Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee.

The tenure of current lawmakers is due to expire in March 2018, and new lawmakers will be elected before the end of January next year. At Tuesday's meeting, chairpersons proposed a draft plan on a quota for regions and ethnic groups, which is expected to be reviewed at the upcoming bimonthly session, according to the statement.

Other bills, reports and documents, including a border defense cooperation agreement among members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a report on advancing the supply-side structural reform to speed up industrial upgrading and a mid-term report on promoting the stock issuance system reform, will be deliberated at the bimonthly session.

The session will also review some official appointments and dismissals, according to the statement.

The chairpersons' meeting also approved a plan on the NPC Standing Committee's major tasks in 2017 and its legislation and supervision plans for the year, the statement noted. Endi