BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The draft environmental code, the draft law on promoting ethnic unity and progress, and the draft law on national development planning will be submitted to the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) for further deliberation, according to a decision made by the NPC Standing Committee on Saturday.

The decision was adopted at the end of an NPC Standing Committee session held from Monday to Saturday.

Compilation of an environmental code is a major decision by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and carries profound and far-reaching significance for advancing the Beautiful China Initiative across the board and promoting harmony between humanity and nature.

Once adopted, the environmental code will become China's second formal statutory code, after the Civil Code, which was adopted in 2020. The compilation of the environmental code was initiated in 2023.

The draft law on promoting ethnic unity and progress summarizes and reflects the historic achievements and experience gained in the Party's ethnic work in the new era.

It spells out the overall requirements, key principles and the responsibilities of relevant parties, and provides a solid legal foundation for fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation and advancing the building of such a community.

The law on national development planning is intended to serve as a basic law for regulating the formulation of national development plans and ensuring their implementation.

Drawing on successful experience in national development planning, the draft law lays out rules on the compilation, review and approval, implementation, and supervision of such plans, offering stronger legal support for mapping out the country's development blueprint.  ■