Gathering will be of great importance heading into congress, experts say

A key meeting to be held by the Communist Party of China in Beijing on Wednesday will lay the foundation for the Party's upcoming 19th National Congress a week later.

The Seventh Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, which is the CPC's most important conference ahead of the 19th National Congress, will highlight the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with General Secretary Xi Jinping as the core and the Party's new thoughts of governance over the past five years, analysts said.

During the session, the members of the 18th CPC Central Committee — mostly senior officials from Party organizations, government agencies, State-owned enterprises and the military — will discuss the report to be delivered by Xi at the 19th National Congress, which starts on Oct 18.

The members also will discuss the amendment to the Party's Constitution and the report to be delivered at congress by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC, the country's top anti-graft watchdog.

Li Chengyan, head of Peking University's Center for Anti-Corruption Studies, said that the seventh plenary session is of great importance, as it will make preparations for the Party's 19th National Congress.

"The plenary session will discuss the reports to be delivered at the Party's 19th National Congress," he said.

In the past, the CCDI report was submitted directly to the CPC National Congress after the CCDI's plenary meeting approved it.

The commission said the procedural change reflects respect for the Party's Constitution, which stipulates that the CCDI works under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee.

A total of 2,287 delegates elected from more than 89 million Party members will elect the new CPC Central Committee and new CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection during the congress.

The plenary session is going to fully affirm the work of the 18th CPC Central Committee in the past five years, which is of great significance for the success of the 19th National Congress, Li said.

The plenary session will review the decisions made by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee to expel corrupt former senior officials from the Party, he added.

Yan Jirong, a professor at the Peking University School of Government, said that the purposes of the seventh plenary session include reaching consensus on major decisions.

The CPC Central Committee has made great achievements in setting up agencies and procedures, fighting graft and adjusting policy in the past five years, and the newly elected committee will focus more on constructive issues after the national congress, which is meaningful for the fulfillment of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, he said.

Zhou Jin contributed to this story.