Not much—but they provide clues about the party’s internal workings. We explain how
on power. Important policies will be discussed at the congress, but none are likely to change. So what do party congresses actually do?
Not much, is the short answer. More important is what they reveal. One reason these events are so closely watched is because they mark a huge turnover of the party’s leadership. Delegates will cast ballots to select a new Central Committee, a body comprising about 370 high-ranking officials, military commanders, bosses of large state-owned companies and other grandees. Supporters of Mr Xi already fill many of these positions and will dominate the committee.
The congress may also provide clues to the party’s long-term priorities in domestic and foreign affairs. Mr Xi will deliver a report, read aloud on the first day of the gathering. The speech—which took more than three hours in 2017—will praise the party’s achievements over his decade in power while skating over problems, including a