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China readies for congress set to begin leadership change
The leadership transfer begins on Thursday at the Great Hall of the People
Final preparations are under way in the Chinese capital ahead of a Communist Party congress that will see a new set of leaders unveiled.
All the delegates have arrived in Beijing for the meeting which begins the once-in-a-decade power transfer.
Security is tight across the city, with policemen checking passers-by and transport restrictions in place.
President Hu Jintao is expected to open Thursday's meeting with a work report on achievements and future goals.
Spokesman Cai Mingzhao said the congress "will be one of great importance, when China is in a crucial stage of building a modern and prosperous society in all respects, taking on reform and opening up, and accelerating the transformation of the growth pattern".
China's leadership change
- Special Communist Party meeting every 10 years
- This time, leaders over age of 68 will be retired
- New group of seven or nine top leaders unveiled
- Names already decided in secret, none elected
- Factions more important than policies, exact selection process unclear
A commentary in Party mouthpiece the People's Daily said that the party was leading the nation on "a path towards national rejuvenation".
"At the 18th party congress that opens tomorrow, people will hear more interpretations of this path," it said.
No formal schedule for the meeting has been revealed, but Mr Cai announced on Wednesday that it would last one week.
The meeting's more than 2,000 delegates choose a central committee, which then chooses the country's highest decision-making body, the Standing Committee of the Politburo.
The process takes place behind closed doors, with the make-up of the top bodies in reality decided ahead of time.
The current Standing Committee has nine members, of whom seven including Mr Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao are expected to step down.
The other two members, Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, are expected to become party leader and deputy respectively. Mr Xi is also expected to take over from Mr Hu as China's president in March 2013.
Ahead of the congress there has been speculation that the number of seats on the committee will be reduced from nine to seven.
Vice-Premier Wang Qishan, propaganda chief Liu Yunshan, party organisation chief Li Yuanchao and Vice-Premier Zhang Dejiang are thought to be the front-runners.
“Start Quote
End Quote Cheng Li Political analystLeaders of these two competing factions differ in expertise, credentials and experience. Yet they understand the need to compromise, the necessity of cutting deals, in order to co-exist - especially in times of crisis”
But the exact composition of the committee will not be clear until it is formally announced next week, likely on 15 November at a plenum expected to follow the congress.
DivisionsThe months leading up to the congress have seen China's political leadership rocked by a scandal involving Bo Xilai, the Chongqing party leader once seen as a candidate for top office.
His wife has been jailed for murdering a British businessman and he is expected to face trial on corruption-related charges.
Cai Mingzhao, spokesman for the congress, said the lessons from the Bo Xilai case had been "extremely profound".
Analysts say there has also been division at the very top of the leadership, with two rival factions jostling for position and influence.
Across China, meanwhile, recent cases of official corruption have stoked public anger and there have been a series of high-profile mass protests focusing on land grabs and environmental issues.
Economic growth has slowed in recent months and the wealth gap is an issue of great concern, as is China's ageing population.
"Future leaders of China will have to make sure that the voices of the public echoing across social media are heard and not neglected," a Xinhua news agency commentary said.
But in Beijing, measures are in place to ensure the meeting is not disrupted.
Party numbers
- Ruled China since 1949
- 83m members in 2011
- 77% of members are men
- Farmers make up one third of membership
- 6.8m members work for the Party and state agencies
- Funded by government grant and membership dues
- Private businessmen allowed to join since 2001
- Seven of country's richest men attending congress
More than 1.4 million volunteers have been brought in to help out with security. Taxis have been told to prevent passengers rolling down windows in some areas - potentially to distribute subversive or protest materials.
Street vendors have been told to close and even the flying of kites has reportedly been banned.
Rights group Amnesty International says more than 130 political dissidents have been unlawfully detained or placed under house arrest ahead of the meeting.
On the internet, thousands of people have left comments appealing for better measures to fight corruption on official websites launched for the congress by the three major party mouthpieces - Xinhua news agency, People's Daily and China Central Television (CCTV).
A user wrote on Xinhua's website: "If the party works for the people, people will support the party."
Other netizens say they are not interested in the congress, complaining they have no say in how the leaders are chosen.
Some have hit out at the tight security for the congress - these comments are quickly removed by the administrator amid intensified censorship.
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