The annual National People's Congress (NPC) drew to a close on Thursday, with the legislature's chairman Zhao Leji saying it sets the stage for the "grand opening" of the nation's 15th Five-Year Plan.

President Xi Jinping and other Party and state leaders attended the closing session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, during which lawmakers passed a resolution on the government work report and approved the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan.

"We will continue to accomplish all the missions and tasks and manage our own affairs and perform our duties to make sure that we have a grand opening of the 15th Five-Year Plan and to achieve our blueprint and translate that into the reality," Zhao said in a speech.

Delegates also endorsed three draft laws – on the environment, ethnic unity and national development planning – as well as several other documents.

The Ecological and Environmental Code aims to safeguard the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature, consolidating the country's theoretical, institutional and practical achievements in ecological conservation since 2012. It'll take effect on August 15.

The Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law embeds the vision of "fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation" into the country's legal framework and advances the law-based governance of ethnic affairs, said Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee. It will take effect on July 1.

The National Development Planning Law governs how China formulates and carries out its five-year development plans, formalising a system that has long guided the world's second-largest economy.

Zhao hailed the progress made at the annual meeting of the national legislature.

"The result of the session shows the unity of the Party's propositions and the will of the people. This shows that with the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee, with Xi Jinping at its core, we have worked together and progressed with the times," he added. (Additional reporting by Xinhua)
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Last updated: 2026-03-12 HKT 23:07




Edited by Edmond Fong