Li Peng, chairman of the 9th NPC Standing Committee, made the remarks Monday when reporting on the committee's performance in its five-year tenure.

Li said the committee has improved the manner in which legislators debate draft bills, making the process more democratic and improving the quality of the laws.

Before the 9th NPC started its term in 1998, draft legislation was usually put to a vote after only two rounds of deliberation.

Li's committee extended the legislative debate to a third round, offering more time for legislative scrutiny before a draft bill becomes law.

This was inscribed into the Legislative Procedure Law which was adopted by the 9th NPC in 2000.

In addition, the group panel discussions have expanded from four to six groups so that more committee members have the opportunity to express their views in detail.

The committee members held a joint panel discussion in April 2001, in which they debated an amendment to the Marriage Law, which attracted national attention because of its impact on people's family life.

It also held a hearing on an amendment to the Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics last year which would further incorporate the views of experts into relevant legislation.

Li said the 9th NPC and its Standing Committee reviewed 124 pieces of legislation, legal interpretations and decisions between 1998 and last month. A total of 109 pieces of legislation were approved by Li's committee and four were adopted by the 9th NPC including the 1999 amendment to the Constitution and the Legislative Procedure Law.

The committee gave equal priority to the revision of current laws while working out new legislation, Li said, adding that 41 out of the 76 laws the legislators approved were revisions of existing laws.

Lawmakers have revised the laws on copyrights, patents and trademarks to achieve full compliance with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

"The 9th NPC Standing Committee has made legislative history in both quantity and quality of legislation," said Mi Fengjun, an NPC deputy from Northeast China's Jilin Province.

The outgoing top legislator suggested that the 10th NPC should focus on making laws that meet the needs of the market economy, overall social progress and the challenges of WTO membership.

The Standing Committee serves as an acting body of the NPC which only meets once a year. Lawmaking and supervising the work of the administrative and judicial departments are two major functions of the NPC Standing Committee.

Li said the committee had inspected the implementation of 22 pieces of legislation and legal decisions in the past five years.

The lawmakers' reviews covered a wide range of areas including compulsory education, agriculture, securities, food and hygiene, mineral resources, fire-fighting and taxation as well as other issues which Li said were "critical for the country's reform, development and stability" and "of high concern to the public."

They also heard 40 reports from the State Council on issues such as reducing the burden on farmers, improving the social security network and reemploying laid-off workers.

(China Daily March 11, 2003)