BEIJING - China's top legislator Li Zhanshu on Thursday called on the special committees of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) to give better play to their important role in NPC work in the new era.

The special committees must focus on the Party and state's overall work as well as the central tasks of the NPC and its standing committee when planning and advancing their work, said Li, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, when addressing a meeting attended by heads of the committees.

Li asked the committees to closely align themselves with the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in terms of political stance, direction, principle, and path.

The 13th NPC has 10 special committees, covering areas such as ethnic affairs, Constitution and law, supervisory and judicial affairs, financial and economic affairs, foreign affairs, environmental protection, agriculture and rural affairs, and social development affairs.