In its annual work report, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) said it plans to revise the Wildlife Protection Law, the Law on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, the Frontier Health and Quarantine Law, and the Emergency Response Law in 2020.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, the NPC Standing Committee has acted promptly and performed its lawful duty while rigorously implementing the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee. We issued the decision to completely ban the illegal trade and consumption of wildlife, thereby protecting against public health risks and promoting the betterment of society.

In line with the requirement to modernize China’s governance system and capacity for governance, and in light of new issues and circumstances in the public health field, the Standing Committee arranged for the enactment and revision of laws to strengthen the system of legal guarantees for public health in order to build a stronger line of defense for the health and safety of the people through the rule of law.

We responded to public concerns, actively reached out to the public to clarify epidemic prevention and control laws, and provided legal support for anti-epidemic efforts and economic and social development.

China currently has over 30 laws on public health, which have generally withstood the test of the COVID-19 epidemic and played a positive role. There are still some weak links and shortcomings in the legal framework, and the NPC Standing Committee will further strengthen China's public health legislation.

The formulation or amendment of 17 laws is expected to be finished within the year, and 13 others will be updated in due course.