China’s Communist Party began a secretive four-day meeting that will likely pave the way for Xi Jinping to secure a new term as the country’s leader, further a long-running anti-corruption drive, and intensify his transformation of the world’s second-largest economy.
The Fifth Plenum of the party’s Central Committee — gatherings closely analyzed for signaling Beijing’s priorities — will focus on a “tightening of discipline,” according to state media, ahead of a Party Congress in 2027 in which Xi is widely expected to hold on to the top job for another five years. Still, China-watchers expect a new generation of officials to ascend to senior positions as the party looks to replenish top ranks thinned out by the anti-graft effort.