Chen Youkun, Deputy to the NPC and Director of Dacheng Chongqing, Creates an Impressive Accomplishments Report

In 2023, Chen Youkun, Deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), Executive Vice President of the Chongqing Bar Association, and Director of Dacheng Chongqing, diligently fulfilled his responsibilities in accordance with the law to advance legal progress, enhance the business environment, and foster economic development. 2024 marks the second year of Chen Youkun's term in office. Reflecting on the past year, he effectively leveraged his expertise to embody the commitment and responsibility of "serving the people as an NPC deputy", presenting an outstanding record of achievements.

Enhancing political stance, strengthening awareness of the broader context, reinforcing duty performance and study, and establishing a solid foundation for effectively fulfilling responsibilities

Chen Youkun has actively participated in training sessions organized by the Supreme People's Court (SPC) and the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) for NPC deputies to enhance his professional capabilities. He consciously supports the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and upholds the socialist rule of law, while positioning the work of lawyers within the broader context of Party and national initiatives.

Attending NPC sessions on time and submitting proposals

During the Two Sessions last year, Chen Youkun made three key proposals: establishing a unified national assessment mechanism for the business environment, revitalizing rural collective construction land, and addressing the financing challenges faced by micro, small, and medium-sized private enterprises. All of these proposals were adopted by the relevant state departments. Notably, the proposal titled "Multiple Measures to Address Financing Difficulties and High Costs for Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Private Enterprises and Support Their Growth" was designated as a key proposal under the supervision of the NPC. The People's Bank of China (PBC) placed significant importance on this matter, conducting special investigations in various regions regarding the proposals. Additionally, the PBC invited Chen Youkun to Shandong for further investigation. Chen Youkun's proposals have been transformed into concrete actions to address the financing difficulties faced by micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), including fostering the development of MSMEs, innovating financial products, creating an information exchange platform that connects government, banks, and businesses, and implementing precise credit granting practices for private enterprises.

Participating in special research and inspection activities, and attending court sessions to foster transparency and fairness after the Two Sessions

In 2023, Chen Youkun participated in several investigations, including a special investigation conducted by the Supervisory and Judicial Affairs Committee of the NPC  in Chongqing, and the activity on inspecting Shandong courts organized by the SPC, focusing on "strengthening judicial protection of environmental resources, promoting governance of litigation sources, and optimizing the law-based business environment". Additionally, he participated in inspections of the Jiangsu procuratorates organized by the SPP, as well as investigation activities organized by the First Intermediate People's Court of Chongqing,  Yunyang People's Court, and Qianjiang People's Court, among others.

Leveraging professional strengths to support the rule of law and enhance the legal environment

As a senior lawyer, Chen Youkun contributed suggestions for the revision of Amendment XII to the Criminal Law (Draft)  and actively participated in soliciting feedback on the Company Law (Revised Draft for Third Deliberation) and the Public Security Administration  Punishments Law (Revised Draft). He attended the symposium organized by the SPC and the Chongqing Delegation on establishing an Ecological Environmental Protection Court in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, as well as the themed salon on optimizing the business environment hosted by the Fifth Intermediate People's Court of Chongqing Municipality . Additionally, he was invited to witness significant innovative initiatives such as Chongqing procuratorial cooperation and the launch of the "Mobile Court ".

In his second year in office, Chen Youkun gained a deeper understanding of the responsibilities of NPC deputies. During this year's Two Sessions, he placed greater emphasis on the practical challenges facing the development of the private economy. Focusing on the survival pressures of private enterprises and the confidence levels of micro, small, and medium-sized private enterprises, he drew from the difficulties and pain points encountered in daily operations and proposed the following three proposals.

The first proposal was to enhance the local rule of law, ensure judicial fairness and justice, and improve the national governance model with Chinese characteristics. To address the issues of "legislative repetition" and a lack of innovation in local legislation, he proposed that a third-party evaluation mechanism should be established to enhance the assessment of the necessity, feasibility, and implementation effects of local legislation, so as to improve the scientific rigor of local legislation. Additionally, to tackle the problem of "inconsistent judgments for similar cases" in current judicial practice, he suggested that various measures should be implemented to unify adjudication standards, uphold judicial authority, resolve disputes scientifically, and strengthen the guiding function of adjudicators.

The second proposal was to safeguard the development of the private economy and strengthen the training of professionals in foreign-related rule of law, ensuring high-quality economic and social development. In response to the challenges faced by private enterprises regarding difficulties in claiming accounts and collecting payments, he suggested improving the payment mechanism for private enterprises to promptly address outstanding payments owed to them. He also proposed to establish a trustworthy government, enhance the business environment, and boost the confidence of private entrepreneurs. Additionally, he suggested expediting the introduction of the Law on Promoting the Private Economy . Regarding the shortage of legal talent in foreign-related matters, he advised further optimizing the judicial system and better utilizing the roles of political and legal institutions to cultivate more outstanding legal professionals for foreign affairs, supporting the Belt and Road Initiative.

The third proposal was to protect the legitimate rights and interests of minors and consumers, effectively safeguard and improve people's livelihoods. In light of the ongoing occurrence of cases such as sexual assault of minors and school bullying, he suggested strengthening prevention and punishment measures regarding personal harm inflicted on minors to effectively protect them. Concerning the proliferation of false advertising, he recommended establishing a review and filing system for advertisements related to food, drugs, and healthcare products, among others, to minimize and eliminate false publicity in this area and safeguard consumers' life and health.