Special committee of the National People's Congress

A special committee (simplified Chinese: 全国人民代表大会专门委员会; traditional Chinese: 全國人民代表大會專門委員會; pinyin: Quánguó Rénmín Dàibiǎo Dàhuì Zhuānmén Wěiyuánhuì) is a legislative committee in the National People's Congress (NPC), the national legislature of the People's Republic of China. Article 35 of the Organic Law of the National People's Congress specifies that the NPC shall create an Ethnic Affairs Committee, a Law Committee, a Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, an Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Committee, a Foreign Affairs Committee, and an Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee, as well as any other special committees that it deems necessary. Over time, the NPC has added an Internal and Judicial Affairs Committee, an Environment Protection and Resources Conservation Committee and an Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, for a total of nine special committees.^[1]

Article 37 of the Organic Law indicates that the functions of special committees are to include deliberating on bills and proposals received from the Presidium and Standing Committee, submitting bills and proposals to the same, examine and report on items considered to contravene the Constitution and laws, examine questions referred by the Presidium and Standing Committee, and investigate and propose solutions to issues. The Ethnic Affairs Committee can additionally make proposals to strengthen ethnic unity and review legislation related to the Autonomous regions of China. The Law Committee deliberates on all draft laws submitted to the NPC.^[1]

Shi Hexing, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance, has written that special committees have strengthened the NPC and the people's congress system as a whole. Wan Li, former Chairman of the National People's Congress, also emphasized the great importance of special committees. In 2005, the General Office of the NPC Standing Committee issued "Several Opinions on Giving Full Scope to the Role of Special Committees," which further strengthened them by setting a specific work system and procedures.^[2]

Current special committees

Special committee	Chairperson
Ethnic Affairs Committee	Li Jingtian (李景田)
Law Committee	Qiao Xiaoyang (乔晓阳)
Internal and Judicial Affairs Committee	Ma Wen (马馼)
Financial and Economic Affairs Committee	Li Shenglin (李盛霖)
Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Committee	Liu Binjie (柳斌杰)
Foreign Affairs Committee	Fu Ying (傅莹)
Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee	Bai Zhijian (白志健)
Environment Protection and Resources Conservation Committee	Lu Hao (陆浩)
Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee	Chen Jianguo (陈建国)

References

1. "Organic Law of the National People's Congress of the PRC" (in Chinese). China Internet Information Center. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
2. Shi, Hexing (2014). "The People's Congress System and China's Constitutional Development". In Lieberthal, Kenneth; Li, Cheng; Yu, Keping. China's Political Development: Chinese and American Perspectives. Brookings Institution Press. p. 110. ISBN 9780815725367. Retrieved 15 July 2015.