Internal democracy and some high profile personnel changes are expected to be on the agenda when nearly 400 of the nation's most powerful officials converge on Beijing next week for the fourth plenum of the Communist Party's 17th Central Committee.
The Politburo scheduled the dates yesterday 'to discuss the work since the third plenum and study issues on strengthening and improving the party building under new circumstances', Xinhua reported.
It said a draft issued to members early this year had received good feedback, and the fourth plenum, being held from Tuesday to Friday, would consider those opinions before developing an outline to guide the party's further development.
In the fourth plenum, many analysts have suggested that Vice-President Xi Jinping could be installed as vice-chairman of the party's Central Military Commission, which President Hu Jintao chairs. That would pave the way for Xi to succeed Hu as party boss in 2012 at the 18th National Congress and eventually as military chief several years later.
Hu was installed as vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission in 1999 at the fourth plenum of the 15th Central Committee and selected as party boss in 2002 at the 16th National Congress.
If the routine is strictly followed, two to three new members would also be installed on the Central Military Commission, and they would then have the chance to step up to the role as vice-chairmen when Xi replaced Hu as the commander-in-chief.