The law on property rights is scheduled to be tabled at next year's annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) for approval, a senior lawmaker said in Beijing yesterday.

Differences over some issues in the law which concerns the interests of almost everyone in China have caused the delay in the legislation plan, Yang Jingyu, director of the Law Committee of the NPC, told China Daily.

According to China's Legislation Law, a draft law should be reviewed by legislators at least thrice before being approved. If the interval between two reviews exceeds two years, the draft law is taken off the legislators' agenda.

In line with the NPC's working plan, the law on property rights will now be reviewed by the top legislature's Standing Committee in August and December to take into account various views.

Earlier reports have suggested that a Peking University law professor's opposition to the legislation was a catalyst for the change in the law-making plan.

"That is not true," Yang said. "It is impossible for an individual to change the legislation process."

Most people regard the draft of the law as good, but differences still exist on some specific issues.

"We have solicited more than 11,500 opinions," said Yang. "We changed the law-making plan to improve the legislation."

He also denied that the law is against the principles of the Constitution because it emphasizes equal protection to both State and private assets.

China's Constitution also recognizes the private economy, he noted.

Yang also said legislators will start their third review of the supervision law in June after a nearly two-year suspension.

The supervision law, detailing legal procedures for the NPC and its Standing Committee to supervise the work of the State Council, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, touches on many sensitive and complicated issues in China's political system.

(China Daily March 9, 2006)