The top legislator says the National People's Congress will ensure the goal of creating a socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics by the end of this year as scheduled.

Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, made the remarks while delivering a Standing Committee work report at Tuesday's Plenary meeting of the NPC in Beijing. Other Chinese leaders, including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, also attended.

This is how the top legislator described the work of the NPC Standing Committee in 2009.

Wu Bangguo said, "Last year was a crucial year for achieving the goal of creating a socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics by 2010. While raising the quality of legislation, we made decisive progress in creating such a system by both enacting new laws and sifting through existing laws."

Among the major efforts, the top legislature twice discussed a draft amendment to the Electoral Law. The amendment proposes electing deputies to the people's congress based on the same population ratio in urban and rural areas. The draft amendment has been submitted to the ongoing NPC session for a third reading.

Conserving resources and protecting the environment are China's basic state policies. The NPC Standing Committee also intensified its work in this sector last year. It revised the Law on Renewable Energy, further defining main content and principles for mapping out plans to develop and use renewable energy.

The top legislature also enacted six laws.

They include tort liability, settlement of land disputes, national defense mobilization, as well as the armed police force.

Wu Bangguo said, "We are duty bound to achieve the goal of creating a socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics, it is the primary task of our legislative work and a top priority of the NPC's work this year."

To meet the goal, Wu Bangguo says the legislature will continue formulating new laws and revising existing ones.

An item high on the agenda is to finish deliberating and revising the draft Social Security Law, which affects hundreds of millions. The draft law allows workers to transfer their basic old-age pension accounts from one locality to another. It also stipulates that the state will gradually set up a new satisfactory old-age pension system for rural residents.

A socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics has been basically established. And there are now laws that cover almost every aspect. But the top legislator says rapid economic and social development continues to place new demands on China's legislative work.

(CCTV March 10, 2010)