Retiring boss urges 'party purity' at Beijing meet

Beijing's party boss called on members to safeguard the 'unity and purity' of the party as its long-delayed congress got under way in the capital yesterday.

The congress must elect new delegates who will join others in representing the city at the National Party Congress, scheduled for autumn, where China's next leadership will be decided.

Incumbent Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong , 65, is tipped to replace the 70-year-old, retiring municipality party chief Liu Qi . Another political high-flier said to be in the running for the post is Inner Mongolia party chief Hu Chunhua.

The capital's deputy mayor, Ji Lin, 50, is tipped to be Beijing's deputy party secretary, and the secretary of the party's political and legal commission. The deadline for each constituency to elect its delegates to the National Congress is today.

The Beijing party congress is usually held in May, but the date for this year's meeting was only announced last week, and the delay has fuelled rumours of a power struggle within the party, especially after former Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai was removed for violating party discipline. No official explanation on the delay was offered.

Addressing the congress, Liu called on party members to remain unified, as the 'international and domestic situations, and the party's situation, are undergoing profound changes'.