Published by ChinaMNC · Guzhen

NPC Water Law Revision Research Team Visits Bengbu: What Foreign Founders Should Know About China's Water Rules

A National People's Congress research team visited Bengbu on October 26 to gather input on the draft revision of China's Water Law. Here is what the visit covered and why water regulation matters for foreign-invested companies operating in China.

What Happened in Bengbu

On October 26, a research team led by Cong Bin, vice chairman of the Constitution and Law Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), visited Bengbu in Anhui Province to conduct legislative research on the draft revision of the Water Law of the People's Republic of China. The visit is part of the lawmaking process: before a revised law reaches a final vote, NPC committees often travel to provinces to hear from local agencies, officials and people's congress deputies.

The delegation included Yang Heqing, deputy director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee; Liu Dongshun, vice minister of water resources; Zhang Li, director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Anhui Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee; and Zhang Qunbo, director of the Anhui Provincial Department of Water Resources. Local participants included Wang Bo, chairman of the Bengbu Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee; Xu Weihong, its vice chairwoman; Zhang Ming, vice mayor; and Yang Feng, director of the Huaihe River Water Resources Commission under the Ministry of Water Resources.

Where the Team Went and What It Examined

The team's first stop was the Huaihe River Regulation Exhibition Hall of the Huaihe River Water Resources Commission, where members viewed physical exhibits and a digital sand table of the river basin, reviewing the 75-year history of Huaihe River regulation and current outcomes.

At the Bengbu Sluice complex, the delegation inspected the operation of the regulating sluice, the ship lock and the first fish passage on the main stream of the Huaihe River. They received briefings on hub scheduling and ecological protection, with particular attention to the complex's role in flood control and disaster reduction, water resource scheduling and ecological conservation.

At a subsequent seminar, the team heard reports from provincial and municipal departments and exchanged views with department heads and people's congress deputies on:

• Protection, development and conservation of water resources in the river basin
• Water network construction and unified water resource scheduling
• Management and protection of rivers, lakes and shorelines

The team also solicited opinions and suggestions on the draft revision of the Water Law.

Why the Water Law Is Being Revised

According to the research team, the revision is a major measure intended to implement the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," to align with the overall layout of water governance in the new era, and to improve the legal system for water governance. The stated core of the revision is to adjust the social relationships that arise in water use and water-damage prevention, as well as the relationships between powers and responsibilities and between powers and obligations, so that water can be genuinely well governed and well used.

The team called for thorough implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, and for carrying out the new decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on protecting, rationally developing, utilizing and conserving water resources. It also urged adherence to the new era's water governance approach, using correct value guidance to solve water governance problems, systematically improving the water governance institutional system, promoting full and effective implementation of the revised law, and consolidating the legal foundation of national water security.

Bengbu's Commitment

Wang Bo said Bengbu will treat the research visit as an opportunity to implement the requirements of the NPC Standing Committee and the provincial people's congress standing committee. The city will focus on implementing the Ecological Environment Code of the People's Republic of China and the newly revised Water Law, support high-quality development of water ecology protection and water governance, and work to translate the institutional advantages of the people's congress system into governance effectiveness.

The article was reported by Wu Yuanyuan and published on the Bengbu government website on October 27.

What This Means for Foreign Founders

For foreign entrepreneurs registering or running a company in China, water law is not an abstract topic. Manufacturing plants, food and beverage operations, chemical and pharmaceutical facilities, data centers and agricultural projects all draw on water resources or discharge wastewater, and they depend on flood control and drainage infrastructure. When the Water Law is revised, the changes can affect permit conditions, scheduling rules during shortages, discharge requirements and the management of rivers and shorelines near industrial sites.

Three practical points follow from this visit:

• Expect tighter systemization, not deregulation. The stated aim is to improve the water governance institutional system and ensure the revised law is fully and effectively implemented. Companies should assume that permitting, metering and reporting requirements will be applied consistently rather than relaxed.
• Watch river-basin rules closely. The discussion covered unified water resource scheduling and shoreline management. Businesses located near major rivers such as the Huaihe, or in basins with coordinated scheduling, may face practical constraints on abstraction, discharge and construction near waterways.
• Track the legislative calendar. This was a research visit on a draft revision, not a final vote. The revised text, once adopted, will be the operative framework. Foreign founders should follow official releases from the NPC and the Ministry of Water Resources rather than relying on early reporting.

For site selection and environmental compliance planning, foreign-invested enterprises should confirm local water allocation and discharge requirements with the relevant water resources bureau and ecological environment bureau before committing to a location. The Bengbu visit illustrates how national legislators gather local input on basin protection, water network construction and shoreline management, all of which can shape operating conditions on the ground.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.