The NPC deputies began to deliberate on the draft on March 8 and
had an open vote on March 16. Among the 2,889 deputies attending
the closing session, 2,799 voted for it, 52 against it, 37
abstained and one didn't cast vote.
The Property Law is a civil law that will regulate property
relationships and adjust civil relationships stemming from
attribution and use of that property. It involves defining the
property of the State, the collective, and the individual, as well
as other property protection measures.
China's laws are usually submitted for approval after
at?most three reviews at the NPC Standing Committee. However,
the debate of the Property Law has spanned nine years, receiving a
record seven reviews at the NPC Standing Committee and stirring hot
debates across the country.
The Property Law will take effect as of October 1, 2007.
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1993
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Drafting of the Property Law
starts
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March 1998
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The Legislative Affairs Commission of the Ninth NPC
Standing Committee set up a civil code research team. The team
entrusts Professor Liang Huixing from Law Research Institute under
the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Professor Wang Liming
from Renmin University of China to make drafts. The two professors
hand over their drafts in October 1999 and December 2000
respectively.
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Dec. 1998
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The Standing Committee of the Ninth NPC (1998-2003)
brings forward in its five-year legislation plan that it will work
on drafting the Property Law and compiling the Civil Code. The
Property Law is then researched and waits for deliberations when
conditions are favorable.
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End of 2001
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The Legislative Affairs Commission of the Tenth NPC
Standing Committee makes a new draft on the basis of drafts of
Professor Liang Huixing and Professor Wang Liming and passes it to
courts nationwide for comments.
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January 2002
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The Legislative Affairs Commission makes further
adjustments, and then publicizes Property Law (Opinion-Soliciting
Version).
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Dec. 23 2002
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The 31st session of the Ninth NPC Standing
Committee includes the Property Law in the draft Civil Code for a
preliminary deliberation.
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Dec. 2003
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The Standing Committee of the Tenth NPC (2003-2008)
lists the Property Law on its five-year legislation plan and the
legislation plan for 2004.
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August 2004
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The Legislative Affairs Commission puts forward a
new draft of the Property Law, which contains five parts, with 297
articles in 22 chapters.
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October 2004
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The draft of the Property Law undergoes the second
deliberation at the 12th session of the Tenth NPC Standing
Committee.
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Nov. 3-5, 2004
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The Law Committee of the Tenth National People’s
Congress convenes to deliberate on the law articles one by one. It
brings forward three principles for modification: give priority to
the most urgent problems; make clear statement on such issues like
transfer of house-site-use rights; make articles simple and easy to
understand.
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June 26, 2005
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The 16th session of the Tenth NPC Standing
Committee examines the draft of the Property Law for the third
time. The new version is composed of 269 articles in 20
chapters.
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July 1, 2005
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The General Office of the Tenth NPC Standing
Committee holds a press conference, inviting Professor Wang
Shengming, the major drafter, and Yao Hong, another official with
the Legislative Affairs Commission, to answer journalists’
questions.
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July 10, 2005
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The NPC Standing Committee publicizes the full text
of draft Property Law to solicit opinions from the public. In 40
days, it receives over 11,543 comments and suggestions.
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Aug. 12, 2005
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Gong Xiantian, a law professor of Peking
University, publishes a letter on the Internet that accuses the
Property Law of violating China’s Constitution and betraying the
socialist system. It arouses huge debates in jurisprudential
circles and becomes a nationwide discussion. The legislation
process is therefore delayed.
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Sept. 26, 2005
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Wu Bangguo, vice chairman of the Tenth NPC Standing
Committee, chairs a special meeting to hear opinions from NPC
deputies and people from all walks of life.
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Oct. 22, 2005
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The draft is reviewed for the fourth time at the
18th session of the Tenth NPC Standing Committee. In this draft,
many opinions from the public were adopted, and many controversial
questions were explained and made clear.
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August 2006
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The 23rd session of the Tenth NPC
Standing?Committee has a fifth review.
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October 2006
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The 24th session of the Tenth NPC Standing
Committee deliberates on the draft Property Law for the sixth
time.
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Dec. 27, 2006
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The 25th session of the Tenth NPC Standing
Committee conducts the seventh review of the draft.
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Dec. 29, 2006
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The 25th session of the Tenth NPC Standing
Committee votes on whether the Property Law should be submitted to
the fifth session of the Tenth NPC in March 2007 for examination
and approval. The result is 155 affirmative votes and one
abstaining from voting.
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Jan. 12, 2007
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According to statutory precedence, the General
Office of the Tenth NPC Standing Committee delivers the draft
Property Law to the NPC deputies for deliberation.
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Mar. 8, 2007
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Wang Zhaoguo, vice chairman of the Tenth NPC
Standing Committee, explains the latest draft of the Property Law,
which is composed of five parts with 247 articles under 19
chapters, to over 2900 deputies attending the fifth session of the
Tenth NPC in Beijing.
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