China’s Communist Party convenes 5th plenum

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - China's ruling Communist Party began its fifth plenary session in Beijing on Monday, state media reported.

The meeting comes ahead of the Communist Party of China's 21st congress, scheduled for March next year, when new party leadership is expected to be selected.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, 73, who also serves as the party's general secretary, delivered a work report to the 20th Central Committee during its fifth plenary session, Xinhua news agency reported.

Xi, who is serving an unprecedented third term as party leader, outlined a draft decision on "some major issues concerning strengthening full and rigorous Party self-governance with perseverance," the report said.

The four-day closed-door meeting brings together some 300 Central Committee members, with discussions expected to focus on emerging leaders ahead of next year's party congress.

"At the heart of this transition is the rise of the party's seventh generation – often referred to as the 7G – who were born in the late 1960s and the 1970s and whose ascent will be critical in shaping China's political trajectory," the South China Morning Post newspaper reported.

Riyaz Khaliq Khaliq