Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) (常务委员会) is a committee of about 500 members of the National People's Congress (NPC) of the People's Republic of China (PRC), which is convened between plenary sessions of the NPC. It has the constitutional authority to modify legislation within limits set by the NPC.The NPCSC also has judicial functions in that it has the power to interpret laws of the PRC. The most notable use of the latter power was in 1999 when it ruled in favor of the Hong Kong government's interpretation of the Basic Law of Hong Kong with respect to the definition of a Hong Kong resident.
