China passes healthcare security law, key appointments made

Chinese lawmakers on Friday voted to adopt a new healthcare security law, approve the appointment of a new civil affairs minister, and ratify an extradition treaty with Hungary.

The votes were taken at a closing meeting of the 24th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing.

Lawmakers also voted to adopt a law on farmland protection and quality improvement, a revised Agriculture Law, a revised National Defense Mobilization Law, and a decision on amending the Lawyers Law.

They also adopted a decision to remove Lu Zhiyuan from the post of minister of civil affairs, and appoint Li Changguan as minister of civil affairs.

President Xi Jinping signed five presidential orders to promulgate the laws and the decision, and a sixth one to announce the decision on the personnel change.

Zhao Leji, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over the closing meeting.

In the meeting, lawmakers ratified an extradition treaty between China and Hungary.

The legislature voted to remove Zhang Youxia as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the People's Republic of China and Liu Zhenli as a member of the CMC.

Lawmakers also voted on several personnel appointments and removals and other personnel-related bills.

They also passed a deputy qualification report.

While addressing the closing meeting, Zhao said that legislative work should place greater emphasis on safeguarding and promoting social fairness and justice, further improve the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics, and provide solid legal guarantees for advancing Chinese modernization on all fronts.

He stressed the need to strengthen legislation in key, emerging and foreign-related fields, and called for efforts to improve the quality of legislation and ensure that it keeps pace with changing needs.

Zhao also chaired a meeting of the Council of Chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee before the closing meeting, and presided over a lecture for lawmakers afterward.