China's top legislator hears advice on drafting biosecurity law

BEIJING - Chinese top legislator Li Zhanshu has called for speeding up the legislative work to formulate a biosecurity law to define the boundaries of biotechnological development in the country.

Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, made the call at a symposium held on Wednesday to hear advice on drafting a biosecurity law.

Li expected such a law to establish fundamental institutions and principles of biosecurity, highlight risk prevention, and help safeguard the country's biosecurity and people's lives and health.

Biotechnological research and applications should be guided and regulated through legislation to promote fast and proper development of biotechnology, as well as prevent and reduce possible hazards and losses, Li said.

He also called for building efficient system and mechanism of management to mobilize forces and clarify responsibilities of different sides and help establish a rigorous system of national biosecurity.

Li stressed that industry, science and technology policies that encourage independent innovations should be inscribed in law to guarantee that biosecurity infrastructure is advanced and therefore improves the country's biosecurity capability.

Recalling recent proposals and suggestions raised by NPC deputies on the legislation of such a law, Li called for quickening the legislative work to formulate a basic, systematic and comprehensive biosecurity law.

In addition to a sound legal system of scientific and reasonable institutional arrangements, he also asked for a strict legal responsibility system to improve the enforceability of the law once it was adopted.

During an NPC session in March, the NPC Standing Committee identified research on the drafting of the biosecurity law as one of its major tasks for 2019.