It holds annual sessions every spring, usually lasting from 10 to 14 days, in the Great Hall of the People on the west side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

The National People's Congress meets in full session for roughly two weeks each year and votes on important pieces of legislation and personnel assignments, among other things.

According to the NPC, its annual meetings provide an opportunity for the officers of state to review past policies and to present future plans to the nation.

Delegates to the National People's Congress are allowed to hold seats in other bodies of government simultaneously and the party and the NPC typically includes all of the senior officials in Chinese politics.

Under China's Constitution, the NPC is structured as a unicameral legislature, with the power to amend the Constitution, legislate and oversee the operations of the government, and elect the major officers of the National Supervisory Commission, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Central Military Commission, and the state.

[11] A second Political Consultative Conference took place in September 1949, inviting delegates from various friendly parties to attend and discuss the establishment of a new state (PRC).

The conference approved the new national anthem, flag, capital city, and state name, and elected the first government of the People's Republic of China.

[16] The constitution guarantees the CCP a leadership role, and the NPC therefore does not serve as a forum of debate between government and opposition parties as is the case with Western parliaments.

[19] Legislation typically passes quickly, but there are notable examples where laws do not get through the NPC, and negative votes have become more commonplace since its inception.

[24] According to academic Rory Truex of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, NPC "deputies convey citizen grievances but shy away from sensitive political issues, and the government in turn displays partial responsiveness to their concerns.

"[19] According to Austin Ramzy, writing for The New York Times, the NPC "is a carefully crafted pageant intended to convey the image of a transparent, responsive government.

[37] The election and appointments for high-ranking posts are effectively decided secretly within the CCP months in advance, with NPC delegates having no say in these decisions.

[37] Before the plenum ends, the CCP customarily holds a "democratic consultative meeting", formally informing non-CCP organizations, such as the eight minor political parties, of the proposed nominees and soliciting their views on the candidates.

The Basic Laws of both the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region, and the laws creating Hainan Province and Chongqing Municipality and the building of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River were all passed by the NPC in plenary session, legislation passed by the Standing Committee when it is in recess carry the same weight as those of the whole of the Congress.

The NPC conducts outreach campaigns with foreign legislatures and parliamentarians for relationship-building and promotion of major CCP policy initiatives.

[41] Additionally, delegations are allocated to the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, as well as the claimed province of Taiwan.

[40] Membership to the congress is part-time in nature and carries no pay, with deputies spending around 49 weeks per year at their home provinces.

[36]: 61  Delegates have the legal right to make speeches in the full chamber of the Great Hall of the People during NPC sessions, though they rarely exercise this right.

[43] Delegates are allowed to simultaneously hold seats in other bodies of government and the party and the NPC typically includes all of the senior officials in Chinese politics.

The delegates from Hong Kong and Macau are elected via an electoral college rather than by popular vote, but do include significant political figures who are residing in the two regions.

[55][better source needed] Delegations from Taiwan are chosen by "consultative election meetings" composed of 120 "compatriots of Taiwanese ancestry" hailing from various provinces in China, the central government and party agencies, and the military.

[59][non-primary source needed] The Presidium presides over the NPC plenary meetings, determining its daily schedule, decides whether to list a delegate's bill on the agenda, hear delegate deliberation reports and decides whether to put an item to vote, nominates the candidates for the top state offices,[60] and organizes the constitutional oath of office ceremonies.

[64] NPCSC membership is often full-time and carries a salary, and members are not allowed to simultaneously hold positions in executive, judicial, prosecutorial or supervisory posts.

[44][non-primary source needed] As the NPC only meets annually, the NPCSC effectively functions as the national legislature of China for most of the year.

[63] The NPCSC passes the vast majority of China's laws, and has the powers to conduct oversight over governmental bodies, appoint or remove top-level personnel that are not in the national-level, ratifies treaties, grant special amnesties, and confer state honors.

They include full time staff, who meet regularly to draft and discuss legislative work and policy proposals and the deputies assigned to the committees.

[35][unreliable source] The NPC meets for about two weeks each year at the same time as the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, usually in the Spring.

[63] During the Two Sessions, the NPC and the CPPCC hear and discuss reports from the premier of the State Council, the president of the Supreme People's Court, and the procurator-general.