China: Communist Party Central Committee Begins 6th Plenum

The Communist Party of China convened the sixth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee on Oct. 24, the South China Morning Post reported. The meeting will run through Oct. 27. Officially, the meeting's theme is "governing the party in a strict manner." Unofficially, the meeting will likely be a key venue for behind-the-scenes jockeying for position by Central Committee and Politburo members ahead of next year's Party Congress, during which five of the current seven Politburo Standing Committee members are set to retire. In the next four days (and for several weeks following) rumors will likely emerge as to which officials are set for promotion or demotion, and perhaps whether any decision has been reached on the question of extending the retirement age for top officials, currently set at 68. The post-meeting communique will also be important to watch for, as it may provide further confirmation of Xi's position as the "core" of his generation of Party leaders.