China will draft new strategy for development: Communist Party

China's ruling Communist Party willdraftanewstrategyfordevelopment during the next five years, party spokesman Tuo Zhen said on Tuesday.

Tuo was speaking at a briefing a day ahead of the opening of the key, twice-a-decade party congress where President Xi Jinping will map out his ambitions for the country and further tighten his grip on power.

The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will open Wednesday and last seven days, the spokesperson said.

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"The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will open at 09:00 tomorrow at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The duration of the Congress is from Oct 18 to Oct 24," said spokesman Tuo Zhen at a press conference.

The Congress is a very important meeting held when China is striving for its final victory for achieving a moderately prosperous society in an all-around way and at a critical time for the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics, said Tuo.

A preparatory meeting of the congress held on Tuesday afternoon has set the agenda for the Congress, the spokesman said.

"The main agenda of the Congress are: to hear and examine the report submitted by the 18th CPC Central Committee; to examine the report on the work of the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection; to deliberate and adopt the amendment to the Constitution of the Communist Party of China; to elect the Party's 19th Central Committee and 19th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection," said Tuo.

The preparatory meeting approved a proposed list of members for a presidium. The congress will proceed under the leadership of the presidium. A secretariat has been set up to handle affairs of the Congress, with Liu Yunshan serving as its secretary-general, Tuo said.

Following the preparatory meeting, the credentials committee held a meeting, and the Presidium met for the first time where it adopted the detailed agenda for the Congress and elected its standing committee, the spokesman said.

The qualifications of all the 2,280 delegates to the Congress, elected from 40 electoral units across the country, have been confirmed valid after the examination of the credentials committee. They will attend the Congress on behalf of more than 4.5 million primary Party organizations and over 89 million Party members.

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