National People’s Congress Standing Committee

Standing Committee of the National People's Congress 中华人民共和国全国人民代表大会 常务委员会
12th Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
Type
Type	Permanent organ of the National People's Congress
Leadership
Chairman	Zhang Dejiang, CPC Since March 2013
Vice Chairperson	Li Jianguo, Wang Shengjun, Wang Chen, Shen Yueyue, Ji Bingxuan, Zhang Ping, Qiangba Puncog, Alecken Eminbahe, CPC Chen Changzhi, CDNCA Yan Junqi, CAPD Wan Exiang, RCKMT Zhang Baowen, CDL Chen Zhu, CPWDP Since March 2013
Secretary-General	Wang Chen, CPC Since March 2013
Majority Leader	Zhang Dejiang, CPC Since March 2013
Structure
Seats	166
Political groups	Since March 2013: Government (115):      Communist Party of China (115) United Front and Independent (51):      China Democratic League (8)      September 3 Society (7)      Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party (6)      Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang (5)      China Association for Promoting Democracy (5)      China Party for Public Interest (3)      Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League (3)      China Democratic National Construction Association (2)      Independent (12)
Elections
Voting system	Party-list proportional representation and Approval voting
Last election	March 2013
Next election	March 2018
Meeting place
Great Hall of the People, Xicheng District, Beijing City, People's Republic of China
Website
http://www.npc.gov.cn

Chen Changzhi, CDNCA
Yan Junqi, CAPD
Wan Exiang, RCKMT
Zhang Baowen, CDL

Since March 2013:
Government (115):

United Front and Independent (51):

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC; Chinese: 全国人民代表大会常务委员会) is a committee of about 150 members of the National People's Congress (NPC) of the People's Republic of China (PRC), which is convened between plenary sessions of the NPC. It has the constitutional authority to modify legislation within limits set by the NPC, and thus acts as a de facto legislative body. It is led by a Chairman, China's top legislator, who is conventionally ranked third in China's political ranking system, after the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and the Premier of the People's Republic of China. The current Chairman is Zhang Dejiang.

The NPCSC also has the power to interpret the laws of the PRC, including its constitution. In contrast to other countries in which stare decisis gives the power of both final interpretation and adjudication to a supreme court, within the People's Republic of China constitutional and legal interpretation is considered to be a legislative activity rather than a judicial one, and the functions are split so that the NPCSC provides legal interpretations while the Supreme People's Court actually decides cases. Because an interpretation of the NPCSC is legislative in nature and not judicial, it does not affect cases which have already been decided.