Rule of law key issue at meeting of Communist Party leaders
Central Committee plenum also likely to be held earlier than usual as Xi Jinping rallies party elite behind graft inquiry into ex-security chief
Discussions on the rule of law are set to dominate a top leadership meeting later this year as Beijing tries to build consensus for an announcement on the graft investigation into former security chief Zhou Yongkang.
The date of this year's Communist Party Central Committee plenum is also likely to be brought forward as pressure grows for the leadership to make a final decision on Zhou.
The plenary session traditionally takes place in September. But several sources told the South China Morning Post that party leaders were considering bringing it forward, although the exact date had yet to be decided.
The leadership meeting usually maps out the party's administrative and ideological development. Senior appointments are often announced, paving the way for more government reshuffles.
It is understood that President Xi Jinping may use the meeting to pledge to safeguard the constitution and fight graft, even at the top of government.
This will help to rally the party elite and convince them the investigation into Zhou was part of the campaign to bolster the rule of law, not a political power struggle as some have suggested, several sources with knowledge of the matter said.
Zhou, once a member of a nine-man Politburo Standing Committee of top leaders, has been in detention since December for alleged corruption.