BEIJING, Dec. 30 -- Senior legislators have outlined the key issues for the next gathering of National People's Congress (NPC) for deputies in March.

    Members of the NPC Standing Committee wrapped up a five-day session yesterday by setting up the agenda for the full session.

    At the top of that agenda are a proposed anti-secession law and deciding on Jiang Zemin's request to resign as chairman of the Central Military Commission of the State.

    The Standing Committee also announced yesterday that four NPC deputies have been expelled from the legislature after being linked to graft or other economic offences.

    Also yesterday, Standing Committee Chairman Wu Bangguo nominated members of the Second Committee for Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region. The first committee's term ended on December 20.

    The 10-member committee, created as a working unit under the NPC Standing Committee, is evenly split between mainlanders and Macao residents including legal professionals. The committee has a five year term of office.

    Yesterday, legislators passed an amendment to the Law on Prevention and Control of Solid Waste Pollution, that take effect in April.

    A legislative explanation of "credit card" in criminal law was also approved to curb the increasing number of offences involving bank cards. The current criminal law has a special clause for credit card crimes, but does not define what the card is, leaving the door open for inconsistent charges.

    The new explanation brings almost all kinds of bank cards into the credit card category, including debit cards and other kinds of cards that may not necessarily allow overdrafts.

    NPC Standing Committee members also held group discussions on three new laws during the session, including a law on civil servants, a law on notarization and a law on renewable sources of energy. It usually takes three reviews before a proposed law goes to vote.

    The Standing Committee approved three international treaties yesterday, including an agreement between Shanghai Co-operation Organization members on fighting drug trafficking, a judicial aid treaty between China and the United Arab Emirate, and the Rotterdam Convention for prior informed consent procedures for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade.

(Source: China Daily 12/30/2004)