Page 8 - REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL PEOPLE’S CONGRESS
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with  a  total  of  23,593  criminals  being  pardoned  through  legal  procedures,
                   demonstrating the socialist humanitarian spirit. We organized ceremonies for
                   132 newly appointed officials to pledge allegiance to the Constitution, helping

                   increase  our  public  employees’  sense  of  purpose  and  motivation  regarding
                   constitutional implementation.
                       In  promoting  its  implementation,  we  have  become  more  keenly  aware
                   that the Constitution embodies the collective will and common aspirations of

                   the Party and the people; that it is the highest form of expression of the state’s
                   will;  and  that  it  is  foundational,  overarching,  stable,  and  enduring.  The
                   Constitution contains provisions on the country’s major systems and matters,
                   and it bears overall, principled, programmatic, and guiding  significance for
                   the  nation  and  society.  The  very  life  of  the  Constitution  is  in  its
                   implementation,  as  is  its  authority.  We  must  improve  and  develop  the

                   Constitution in keeping with the times, improve the institutional framework
                   for ensuring its full implementation, and update relevant legal systems and
                   mechanisms, so as to provide a legal footing for efforts to modernize China’s
                   system and capacity for governance and build a modern socialist country.

                       2. Improving the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics and
                   making good laws to promote development and ensure good governance
                       Adapting to the new requirements for our legislative work in the new era,

                   we  closely  followed  the  major  plans  for  modernizing  China’s  system  and
                   capacity  for  governance,  bolstered  legislation  in  key  areas,  emerging  areas,
                   and  foreign-related  areas  to  shore  up  shortcomings  and  weaknesses  in
                   advancing the rule of law, and made our legislative work more systematic,
                   holistic, coordinated, and responsive.

                       (1) We advanced legislative work to promote high-quality development.

                       We conducted seven rounds of deliberation on China’s first-ever code, the
                   Civil  Code,  and  solicited  public  opinions  on  seven  occasions  before  it  was
                   deliberated and adopted at the Third Session of the 13th NPC. We formulated
                   the Foreign Investment Law and the Hainan Free Trade Port Law to support a
                   new  round  of  high-standard  opening  up.  In  order  to  stimulate  rural
                   revitalization and prioritize agricultural and rural development, we enacted
                   the Rural Revitalization Promotion Law in a timely manner; revised the Seed
                   Law,  the  Law  on  the  Contracting  of  Rural  Land,  the  Land  Administration

                   Law,  the  Agricultural  Products  Quality  and  Safety  Law,  and  the  Animal
                   Husbandry  Law;  and  deliberated  draft  laws  on  rural  collective  economic
                   organizations and other issues.

                       In  an  effort  to  establish  a  fairer  and  more  equitable  legal  system
                   underpinning the market economy, we formulated the Electronic Commerce
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