Third, we conducted oversight of legal compliance and work performance in accordance with the law, thus providing support through oversight.

At all times, we worked to ensure that our legally prescribed duties were carried out within the statutory limits of authority and through the procedures as defined in law. By exercising appropriate and effective oversight, we advanced full and effective implementation of the Constitution and the law, and ensured law-based exercise of administrative, supervisory, adjudicatory, and procuratorial powers.

We strengthened the examination and oversight of the plans, budgets, and final accounts of the government.

Focusing on the targets and tasks for national economic and social development approved at the Third Session of the 13th NPC, we placed ensuring stability on six fronts and maintaining security in six areas at the top of our agenda.1 We heard and deliberated a report on the implementation of the plan for national economic and social development, held regular meetings to analyze the state of the economy, and conducted ongoing oversight of economic developments to ensure the full implementation of the Party Central Committee's major decisions and plans, as well as the 2020 plan for national economic and social development adopted by the Third Session.

To comply with the requirement for pursuing a more proactive and impactful fiscal policy, we heard and deliberated the State Council's reports on its final accounts, on the execution of budgets, and on auditing work, and examined and approved the central government's final accounts for 2019. We heard and deliberated the report on the rectification of problems discovered through auditing and conducted special inquiries. We carried out oversight over the rectification process to see that relevant problems were effectively remedied.

We carried out research projects on preferential tax and fee policies and on tax and fee reduction policies for epidemic control, so as to provide legal support to meet local governments' funding requirements as they carried out epidemic control work.

We further advanced the reform for expanding the focus of budget examination and oversight.

We formulated guidelines for strengthening local people's congresses' examination and oversight of local government debt, and pushed for the meticulous and effective implementation of reform measures for expanded budget examination and oversight.

We carried out exhaustive budget examination and exercised budget oversight at all stages, intensifying ex ante oversight, concentrating on interim oversight, and carrying out ex post oversight effectively.

We stepped up oversight to see how effectively policies are implemented and how efficiently funds are used. We established mechanisms for hearing reports on performance-based evaluations of government budgets and for releasing information on the performance of important policies and key funds from relevant departments. We encouraged the establishment of a system for linking performance-based evaluation results to policy improvements and budget allocations.

Combining online monitoring with offline research and analysis, we pressed ahead with phase two of the development of the online budget oversight system with a view to helping NPC deputies to perform their budget examination and oversight duties.

We fulfilled our duty of overseeing the management of state-owned assets.

We adopted the decision on enhancing oversight of state-owned asset management. We carried out our duties effectively, and worked to ensure that our oversight became more targeted, procedure-based, and practical, so as to provide legal safeguards for more effective oversight of state-owned asset management.

We heard and deliberated a comprehensive report on the management of state-owned assets for 2019, along with a special report on the management of state-owned assets held by enterprises for the same year. We launched research initiatives to oversee the management of state-owned assets held by enterprises (excluding financial enterprises), and encouraged the State Council to further reform the state-owned asset oversight system with the focus on capital management, to advance the mixed ownership reform of state-owned enterprises, and to improve the distribution of state capital.

We carried out research dedicated to refining the state-owned asset governance system and advanced online oversight of state-owned assets. Over a period of three years, we essentially achieved our goal of setting up a system for reporting on state-owned asset management at the provincial, city (with subsidiary districts), and county levels.

We heard and deliberated work reports on specific issues.

Focusing on the targets and tasks for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and paying particular attention to the priorities and challenges of economic performance, we heard and deliberated the State Council's reports on scientific and technological innovation, on the reform to introduce a registration-based IPO system, on poverty alleviation, and on the allocation and use of government funds for agriculture and rural areas.

For the first time, we heard and deliberated a National Commission of Supervision report on tracking down corrupt officials hiding abroad and the recovery of stolen state assets. Our work in this area has not only demonstrated the achievements of reforms to the national supervision system and the improvement in our national governance capacity, but also marked a new step forward in the NPC's exercise of oversight of the State Council, the National Commission of Supervision, the Supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

We strengthened oversight of law enforcement and judicial work.

We heard and deliberated the State Council's report on the efforts of public security organs to standardize law enforcement, in a bid to assist these organs in enforcing the law with a stricter, fairer, more measured, and more procedure-based approach.

In response to the new characteristics of civil cases and new crimes, we heard and deliberated a report from the Supreme People's Court on strengthening the adjudication of civil cases to support sustained and healthy economic and social development in accordance with the law, along with the Supreme People's Court's mid-term report on pilot reforms for streamlining civil litigation procedures. We also heard and deliberated the report from the Supreme People's Procuratorate on applying the system of sentence bargaining in criminal cases. As a result of these efforts, we were able to enhance civil trial quality and efficiency and improving the work performance in the handling of criminal cases, achieved both judicial impartiality and greater efficiency, and coordinated political, legal, and social implications in the handling of cases.

We continued to intensify law enforcement inspections.

In order to coordinate the Covid-19 response with economic and social development, and to meet the demands and expectations of our deputies and the general public, the Standing Committee inspected the implementation of its decision to completely ban the illegal trade and consumption of wild animals, the Wildlife Protection Law, the Law on the Prevention and Control of Soil Pollution, the Law on Promoting Agricultural Mechanization, the Charity Law, the Law on the Provision of Public Cultural Services, and the Law against Unfair Competition. We also heard and deliberated a report from the State Council on its handling of the Standing Committee report on the inspections of the implementation of the decision to completely ban the illegal trade and consumption of wild animals and the Wildlife Protection Law and on the recommendations of its deliberations. We launched public awareness raising campaigns for the relevant laws to ensure the fulfillment of legal responsibilities in line with specific legal stipulations.

Placing the focus on the campaigns to keep our skies blue, our waters clear, and our land pollution-free, we inspected the implementation of the Law on the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution, the Law on the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution, and the Law on the Prevention and Control of Soil Pollution in 2018, 2019, and 2020 respectively. We carried out field inspections in 78 prefecture-level cities in 22 provinces, held 74 seminars, and conducted unannounced investigations in 170 organizations and projects. Subsequently, a total of 82 problems in 20 categories were identified, and the names of the 143 organizations in which problems were discovered were made public. We continued to conduct law enforcement inspections with regard to environmental protection with the aim of using the force of the law to assist in winning the battle against pollution. Crucially, through these inspections we increased the sense of ecological civilization among the people, fostered widespread awareness on observing environmental protection laws, and channeled the strength of the rule of law into building an even more beautiful China with green mountains, clear waters, and fresh air.

We achieved real progress in research.

Our research initiatives constitute important channels through which the Standing Committee carries out oversight of work performance. Last year, members of the Chairperson's Council, the Standing Committee, special committees, and work committees conducted a total of 232 research projects, leading to the compilation of 307 reports. The Standing Committee launched research projects focusing on major issues pertaining to the development of the 14th Five-Year Plan, the implementation of its resolution on environmental protection, the initiative to cherish food and oppose waste, the reform of the social insurance system and the implementation of the Social Insurance Law, initiatives to foster ethnic unity and progress, and the management and reform of government investment funds.

For instance, special committees and work committees spent more than four months conducting the research project regarding the formulation of the 14th Five-Year Plan. As a result of meticulous organization, 22 reports were produced on the basis of acquiring a thorough understanding of the following: issues concerning ethnic groups; national security; finance and the economy; education, science, culture, and public health; overseas Chinese affairs; environmental protection; agriculture, rural areas, and rural residents; and social security.

We worked through multiple channels to ensure the application of our research results, so that these research reports not only serve the NPC in its mission to carry out oversight and enact and revise laws, but they are also referred to by central Party and government departments in their decision-making processes and in carrying out their duties.