China has been committed to limiting the use of the death penalty and has always been very prudent in using capital punishment, an official with the top legislature said Thursday.

The amendment to the Criminal Law, which was passed in 2011, reduced the number of crimes punishable by death to 13, or 20 percent of the total, said vice chairman of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, at a press conference during the ongoing parliamentary session.

The Supreme People's Court's review of the death penalty is another effort China has made to control and limit the use of capital punishment.

On Jan. 1, 2007, the Supreme People's Court resumed the process of reviewing and approving all death sentences to ensure that lower courts' decisions are accurate.

"Such a procedure shows that China has been very prudent in the use of the death penalty," Lang said.