China is governed under a socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics that is based on the civil law system. The legal system is founded on a written constitution and the laws and decisions adopted by the National People’s Congress and its standing committee. The State Council is China’s top administrative authority, which is empowered to promulgate administrative regu-lations and whose constituent departments and sub-agencies are authorised to promulgate legally binding administrative measures, rules, decisions, and directives. At the provincial and municipal levels, people’s congresses and local counterparts of the nation’s administrative authorities also hold legislative and administra-tive powers, respectively, within their jurisdic-tions. Local laws and administrative documents must not conflict with their superior national-level counterparts.