Full Text: Work report of NPC Standing Committee

3) We gave impetus to ecological and environmental conservation and improvements. 

In actively responding to the people's earnest expectation for a good environment, in 2014 we comprehensively revised the Environmental Protection Law; in 2016, we inspected compliance with this law and held a special inquiry following the inspection, and for the first time, heard and deliberated the State Council's report on the state of the environment and the fulfillment of environmental protection targets. We required relevant authorities to ensure full enforcement of environmental protection laws and regulations and put great effort into addressing the environmental problems which are of great concern to the people, such as air, water, and soil pollution, so that the people can really feel improvements in the environment. We urged local governments at all levels to make annual reports on the state of the environment and the fulfillment of their environmental protection targets to people's congresses at the same level and their standing committees in accordance with the law, and to willingly accept oversight by people's congresses and the public. 

Lush mountains and lucid waters are as valuable as gold and silver. We inspected compliance with the Water Law, carried out research investigations on the implementation of the Law on the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution, and heard and deliberated the State Council's report on the establishment and management of nature reserves. We required that the strictest possible management system for water resources be put into action, the protection of water ecosystems and management of water environments be strengthened, sustainable use of water resources be guaranteed, and efforts to protect and restore natural ecosystems be accelerated, so that we can forever keep our mountains green and our waters clear. 

4) We helped to ensure steady and sound economic and social development. 

We kept firmly in mind the Party Central Committee's major decisions and plans on economic work, as we worked to strengthen oversight of economic work as well as review and oversight of government budgets and final accounts. We heard and deliberated the State Council's reports on the implementation of the plan for national economic and social development, on the management of state-owned assets and reform of their management system, and on scientific and technological innovation in agriculture and forestry. We inspected the implementation of the Law on Promoting the Application of Scientific and Technological Advances. We emphasized that the government should adapt to, approach in the right way, and steer the new normal in economic development; press ahead with supply-side structural reform; ensure substantive progress in cutting overcapacity, reducing excess inventory, deleveraging, lowering costs, and strengthening areas of weakness; put great effort into pursuing innovation-driven development; work quickly to replace old drivers of growth with new ones; effectively guard against and defuse risks; and ensure a good start to the 13th Five-Year Plan.

We heard and deliberated the State Council's reports on the final accounts of the central government, on budget implementation, and on auditing work, and examined and approved the 2015 central government final accounts and the revision of the 2016 central government budget. We heard and deliberated the State Council's reports on the rectification of problems discovered in auditing and on the progress achieved in deepening reform of the system of transfer payments. We required that the proactive fiscal policy be well implemented, reform of fiscal and tax systems and relevant legislative initiatives be accelerated, the compilation and management of budgets and final accounts be put under standard procedures, the effectiveness and transparency of transfer payments be raised, and management of local government debt be strengthened. To see greater participation of deputies and the public in the work of budget review, we formulated the guidelines on establishing a mechanism for soliciting opinions from deputies and people from all sectors of society before government budgets are reviewed. 

We also heard and deliberated the State Council's reports on the progress of the reform and development of higher education and on the enforcement of the Law on Entry and Exit Administration. We conducted research on the development and implementation of supporting rules and regulations for the Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy.