BEIJING -- Chinese citizens are on their way to getting a civil code as a draft of rules stipulating the code's basic principles was submitted to the country's top legislature for first reading on Monday.

The National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee will consider the draft general rules at its bi-monthly session, which runs until Saturday.

The civil code, a collection of laws designed to cover private law, will be implemented once the legislation is complete.

Li Shishi, head of the NPC Standing Committee's Legislative Affairs Commission, said at the opening meeting of the session that the draft general rules are expected to be approved in March 2017 and the whole civil code adopted in March 2020.

The code is important in modernizing state governance and safeguarding people's interests. It will also help the economy, Li said.

The drafting started in March 2015 and was carried out by a panel comprising officials from the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council. Jurists from China's academic circles were also involved.