Congress

At the annual sessions held every spring, an elected council of members uphold the interests of the region's citizens.

Assembled for the first time in 1954, the National People’s Congress (NPC) is the highest organ of state power in China and the highest level of legislative power under the Constitution of the People’s Republic. The 1982 Constitution gave it the mandate to manage economic, cultural, and social affairs in the name of the people. With almost 3,000 elected members, it is the largest parliamentary body in the world. Its members, elected indirectly for a term of five years, come to Beijing to represent the 34 provincial-level administrative divisions from which they come and which together form the foundation of Chinese popular democracy. During one of the annual sessions, the NPC Standing Committee elects the Chinese President, Vice President, and Premier of the State Council.