A first look at the upcoming 20th National Party Congress of the CPC

On October 16, all eyes will be set on Beijing, as the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) holds the inaugural meeting of its 20^th National Party Congress (NPC), where the President of China and General Secretary of the CPC, Xi Jinping, is expected to secure an unprecedented third time as head of the Party and of the government. During the meeting, President Xi will also deliver a work report, which is likely to solidify and expand the development concepts which have emerged during his administration, and which collectively are known as ‘Xi Jinping Thought.’ The concepts in this work report will most likely be enshrined in the Constitution of the CPC, thus becoming a guiding principle for Party and government action. The importance of the 20^th NPC is therefore not really about the media headline story of President Xi’s groundbreaking third term; rather, it is about the implications for the country’s development pathway.

This report is the first in a series of briefs (and webcasts too) where we will present the key highlights of the 20^th NPC.