The 'Standing Committee of the
National People's Congress' (NPCSC;
Chinese: 全國人民代表大會常務委員會,
pinyin: Quánguó Rénmín Dàibiǎo Dàhuì Chángwù Wěiyuánhuì) is a committee of about 150 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, and thus acts as a ''de facto'' legislative body. It is led by a Chairman, China's top legislator, who is conventionally ranked third in China's
political ranking system. The current Chairman is
Wu Bangguo.
The NPCSC also has
quasi-judicial functions, in that it has the power to interpret laws of the PRC. A notable use of the latter power occurred in 1999 during the dispute of the
Right of Abode issue in the
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. In the case, the NPCSC interpreted the
Basic Law of Hong Kong in accordance with the position taken by the Hong Kong government with respect to the eligibility of permanent residency in Hong Kong. However, unlike a
supreme court, an interpretation of the NPCSC is legislative in nature and not judicial, as it does not affect cases which have already been decided.