1. We made new strides in key areas of legislation.
The law is of great value in the governance of a country, and good laws are a prerequisite for good governance. Focusing on the key task of raising the quality of legislation, we channeled great effort into advancing legislation in key areas. Large in number, considerable in weight, and rapid in pace, our initiatives in legislation led to a number of important achievements that have supported and promoted the country's reform and development and ensured its stability.
1) Legislation on national security was enhanced.
The National Security Law represents a comprehensive, overarching, and fundamental law in the field of national security, playing a central role in the establishment of a system of national security laws. Acting in line with the Party Central Committee's overall plan for accelerating the development of rule of law in China's national security efforts, the Standing Committee gave high priority to the enactment of a national security law which was passed after three deliberations. As an important piece of legislation, the National Security Law embodies an integrative approach to national security, and defines national security in the context of China's conditions and realities. It sets out express provisions regarding the guiding notions, leadership system, basic principles, major tasks, and safeguard measures of China's security initiatives, thus laying a solid legal foundation for accelerating the establishment of a national security system and taking a distinctly Chinese approach to national security.
The fight against terrorism has an important bearing on China's national security, on the people's immediate interests, and on the country's reform, development, and stability. In the face of a grave and complex situation in the fight against terrorism both at home and abroad, it is of crucial importance that China intensifies its anti-terrorism initiatives. With this in mind, the Standing Committee adopted the Anti-Terrorism Law in December 2015, through which we have defined the basic principles of China's anti-terrorism initiatives, improved working systems and mechanisms in this regard, and stepped up anti-terrorism efforts with regard to preventive safety measures, emergency response, international cooperation, and supporting measures. Meanwhile, Amendment IX to the Criminal Law, passed by the Standing Committee, imposed criminal sanctions against five types of terrorism-related activities and introduced harsher punishments for crimes involving terrorism and extremism. The improvements to our counter-terrorism laws will be of great importance for preventing and punishing terrorist activities according to law, for safeguarding national and public security, and for protecting people's lives and property.
2) Legislation pertaining to people's wellbeing was pushed forward.
Putting the people first in legislation and making legislation for them is an important principle that we must uphold in our legislative work under present circumstances. In response to strong public complaints about serious air pollution such as the frequent occurrence of smog, the Standing Committee worked energetically to revise and improve relevant laws while continuing to strengthen oversight. In particular, we made comprehensive revisions to the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law in an effort to make the law significantly more targeted, practicable, and enforceable. Increasing the number of articles from 66 to 129, we made significant modifications and improvements to the law with a view to strengthening the obligations of the government, enterprises, and individual members of society in the prevention and control of air pollution. By upgrading prevention and control standards, tightening total emissions control, and improving the emissions permit system, the revised law enhanced the prevention and control of pollution from coal burning, industry, vehicle and vessel exhaust emissions, wind-borne dust, and agriculture. It also refined systems for coordinating intra-regional prevention and control efforts in key regions and for responding to heavy air pollution.
The people will not be content until they have confidence in the safety of the food they are eating. In a bid to establish the strictest possible oversight and supervision system for food safety, one that covers the whole process from production to consumption, the Standing Committee took prompt steps to revise the Food Safety Law, taking particular aim at prominent food safety problems. With an emphasis on preventing and reducing safety risks, the revised law has improved basic systems pertaining to safety standards and the monitoring and assessment of safety risks. It brings the whole process from food production and distribution to catering under supervision, and tightens legal penalties for the unlawful production and sale of food and for neglect and dereliction of food safety supervision duties. It also prescribes the establishment of a society-wide co-governance system for food safety that comprises the provision of rewards for reporting food safety problems, the release of food safety information, and the introduction of a food safety liability insurance, so that every member of society is encouraged to lawfully ensure that every bite of food is safe.
Opposition to domestic violence is an important indicator of social progress, and an essential requirement for harmonious families and a stable society. In September 2015, at the Global Leaders' Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, President Xi Jinping stated, "We will strive to eliminate all forms of violence against women, including domestic abuse." The Anti-Domestic Violence Law formulated by the Standing Committee emphasizes that the prevention of domestic violence is the shared responsibility of the state, society, and each family. The law has not only stipulated mechanisms and measures for preventing and dealing with domestic abuse, but has also introduced a system of restraining orders to protect the victims of family violence, thereby providing a stronger legal guarantee for preventing domestic violence against women, minors, and other groups and preserving equal, harmonious, and amiable family relations.
We also made timely changes to the Population and Family Planning Law. In order to put into effect the decision made at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee to comprehensively implement a policy of allowing all couples to have two children, the Standing Committee issued a decision on revising the Population and Family Planning Law, implementing a universal two-child policy as of January 1, 2016. The revised law explicitly stipulates that all couples are allowed to have two children. Those couples who had observed the previous one-child policy and are still willing to have only one child in their lifetime shall be eligible for a certificate of honor, which entitles them to benefits and assistance as stipulated. As a response to the major demographic shift that has taken place in China, the revision of the Population and Family Planning Law represents a major change to China's birth policy, and is a move that will have far-reaching effects on our efforts to promote the balanced development of China's population.
