Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, presides over the first plenary meeting of the 22nd session of the 14th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, April 27, 2026. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature on Monday began deliberating on a draft social assistance law and a draft revision to the Agriculture Law, among other bills, at a legislative session that will run through Thursday.

Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), presided over the first plenary meeting of the 22nd session of the 14th NPC Standing Committee.

Bills submitted to the session for review also included a draft revision to the Prison Law, a draft healthcare security law, a draft law on farmland protection and quality improvement, a draft revision to the Law on State-Owned Assets of Enterprises, a draft revision to the National Defense Mobilization Law, and a draft revision to the Water Law.

A treaty on judicial assistance in criminal affairs between China and Azerbaijan was submitted for ratification.

Also submitted for ratification was a treaty of permanent good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation between China and the five Central Asian countries.

Reports concerning environmental protection, state-owned assets management, and lawmakers' qualifications, as well as proposals regarding appointments or removals, were submitted for review. ■