19th CPC Congress: China Awaits New Politburo Standing Committee Members

The makeup of the party’s topmost organ is expected to be announced on October 24, 2017.

The 19^th national congress of the Communist Party of China, CPC, which opened in the Chinese capital, Beijing, on October 18, 2017, ends on Tuesday, October 24, 2017, with the unveiling of names of members of the Politburo Standing Committee, PSC – the topmost organ of the ruling party. This will be sequel to the conclusion of the First Plenum of the 19^th CPC Central Committee.

The PSC presently comprises seven members, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, but observers say the new composition could see the number reduced to five or even raised to nine. The Chinese public and the international community are both eager to know those who will make it to PSC because one of them will succeed President Xi in 2022 when he concludes his second and final five-year term.

Meanwhile, comments have continued to pour in on President Xi Jinping’s state-of-the-party report presented at the opening of the 19^th CPC national congress on October 18, 2017. According to Jim O'Neill, the renowned economist who coined the “BRIC” acronym, China's rising consumer demand remains the single most important development in world economy. “This, and two other things President Xi highlighted - China's peaceful nature and the absence of foreign expansionist ambitions - suggest to me that China will continue on its path to greater global importance,” O’Neill noted.

Rana Mitter, Director of the University of Oxford China Centre said the most significant part of President Xi's speech was the pledge...