Lawmakers Thursday deliberated a draft national intelligence law that contains measures to protect the legal rights and interests of individuals and organizations.

The draft was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress for the second reading at the start of its bi-monthly session.

China will protect and honor individuals and organizations who support or coordinate with national intelligence staff, and award those who have made “great contributions” to national intelligence work, it stated.

The draft stipulated that national intelligence agencies and their staff are not allowed to take advantage of their positions to seek personal benefits, and anyone found to have done so will be held accountable in accordance with the law.

In addition, national intelligence agencies should help individuals and organizations report information to intelligence authorities, while those who attempt to deceive (the public) in the name of national intelligence interest may face criminal charges, it said.

A national intelligence law is needed to improve national intelligence work and safeguard national security, lawmakers agreed.

The law was first read and deliberated at the top legislature’s bi-monthly session in December 2016.

President Xi Jinping said more should be done to end poverty and improve the standard of living in revolutionary base areas.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks during a tour Wednesday of Lyuliang and Xinzhou, two revolutionary base areas in Shanxi Province.

On Wednesday morning, Xi visited Lyuliang revolutionary memorial museum in Xing County of Lyuliang City and left a basket of flowers in a mark of respect for the country’s martyrs, the term used for war heros.

Xi spoke highly of the “Lyuliang spirit” and said it should be used as motivation to “improve people’s lives and to achieve the great rejuvenation of the nation.”

During the tour, Xi spoke about how the poverty relief campaign related to the target of achieving a “moderately prosperous society in an all-round way” by 2020.

Also on Wednesday, Xi visited the village of Zhaojiawa, an impoverished area in Xinzhou City, where he talked with villagers and officials.

Xi spoke of improving living conditions through relocation and called for better supporting measures that would ensure income sources for residents.

The president also met with poverty-relief work teams, and praised their efforts.

Xi said sending officials to serve as first Party committee secretaries at the local level was not only conducive to the poverty eradication campaign, but also improved the competence of officials. He proposed that promising officials at this level should be considered for promotions.

The president vowed continued efforts to improve people’s lives and asked everyone to “roll up sleeves and work harder together with the CPC Central Committee.”