National People's Congress

The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, normally referred to as the National People's Congress (usually abbreviated NPC), is the highest organ of state power and the national legislature of the People's Republic of China. With 2,980 members in 2018, it is the largest parliamentary body in the world. The National People's Congress meets in full session for roughly two weeks each year and votes on important pieces of legislation. Members are considered to be part-time legislators and are not paid.

The majority of the power of the NPC is exercised by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC), which consists of about 170 legislators and meets in continuous session when the full session of the NPC is not held. Members of the National People's Congress are allowed to simultaneously hold seats in other bodies of government and the party and the NPC typically includes all of the senior officials in Chinese politics. By contrast, members of the NPCSC are not allowed to simultaneously hold positions in executive or judicial posts.

Under China's Constitution, the NPC is structured as a unicameral legislature, with the de jure power to legislate and oversee the operations of the government, the supreme court, special committees, the supreme procuratorate, the central military commission and elect the major officers of state. Western media sources commonly describe the NPC as a de facto rubber-stamping body although at the turn of the century some academics asserted that the NPC had then begun to emerge as an influential force in Chinese politics.

The NPC is elected for a term of five years. It holds annual sessions every spring, usually lasting from 10 to 14 days, in the Great Hall of the People on the west side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The NPC's sessions are usually timed to occur with the meetings of the National Committee of the People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a consultative body whose members represent various social groups. As the NPC and the CPPCC are the main deliberative bodies of China, they are often referred to as the Lianghui (Two Sessions).

According to the NPC, its annual meetings provide an opportunity for the officers of state to review past policies and to present future plans to the nation.