National People's Congress

The National People's Congress (NPC) is the supreme organ of state power of the People's Republic of China that heads the country's system of people's congress. It is vested with unified state power and carries out its duties under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as the party is constitutionally enshrined as having the "leading role" in China's communist state system. The NPC uses its status in the state system to establish a division of labour between itself and inferior state organs. The relationship between the NPC and the inferior organs make up the unified state apparatus.

As the supreme organ of state power, the NPC has the power to amend China's communist state constitution, enact legislation, and oversee the operations of the state's inferior organs. It elects and can remove the top officials of the inferior state organs: the State Council, the state president, the Supreme People's Court (SPC), the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the National Supervisory Commission, and the Central Military Commission. Since the session of the NPC, referred to as the full Congress, typically convenes only once per year, it delegates the majority of its powers to its permanent organ, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC). The NPCSC consists of approximately 170 legislators and holds bi-monthly sessions to ensure the continuous exercise of state power when the NPC is not in session.

The NPC 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. At these sessions, it votes on important pieces of legislation and personnel assignments, among other things. These sessions are usually timed to occur with the meetings of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a consultative organ whose members represent various social groups. As the NPC and the CPPCC are the main deliberative organs of China, they are often referred to as the Two Sessions (Lianghui). 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. Due to the CCP's leading role in the political system, some external observers characterize the NPC as a rubber stamp for decisions already made at the highest levels of the CCP.

The deputies are elected by provincial-level people's congresses, which are themselves indirectly elected. The CCP controls the nomination and election processes at all levels of the people's congress system. With 2,904 members in 2025, it is the largest legislative organ in the world. The NPC is elected for a term of five years. Membership for deputies is part-time and unpaid. Delegates to the National People's Congress may hold seats in other organs of government simultaneously, and the party and the NPC typically include all senior figures in Chinese politics. However, membership of the Standing Committee is often full-time and carries a salary, and Standing Committee members are not allowed to simultaneously hold positions in executive, judicial, prosecutorial, or supervisory posts.