President Jiang Zemin has appealed for party unity during the leaders' Beidaihe resort meetings, linking leadership cohesion with Beijing's ability to score a victory over Taiwan.
And while Mr Jiang is offering more support for Premier Zhu Rongji, he is also lobbying for the promotion of a number of proteges.
A Beijing source said the meetings had yet to make concrete recommendations on matters such as Taiwan, but Mr Jiang had made appeals for unity to the party's top echelon.
'If the leadership does not stay united, Taiwan may yet run away from the motherland,' the President and party General Secretary reportedly said.
He called upon participants in the meetings - including Politburo members, regional leaders and PLA officers - to stay together to handle crises at home and abroad.
Mr Jiang pointed out that the recent sale of American weapons to Taiwan showed Washington had not lived up to its promise to put pressure on Taipei to stop its pro-independence gambit.
An aide to Mr Jiang cited the nervousness with which Washington had reacted to Taipei's decision to cancel a contract for Boeing aircraft.