The annual plenum of the Communist Party's Central Committee will draw to a close today, and a communique endorsing the next five-year plan (2011-15) is expected.
But all eyes will be on whether Vice-President Xi Jinping will be promoted to deputy chairman of the Central Military Commission.
With vice-presidency and a leading role on the Central Committee's powerful Secretariat, the latest military promotion, if announced today, will cement his status as the likely successor to take over power in 2012.
Xi's promotion is important as it will mark a new phase for the delicate preparations for the leadership succession in autumn 2012, when the party's 18th congress is scheduled.
That congress will see the transition of power from the fourth generation of leadership under President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao to the fifth generation - including Xi and Li Keqiang , currently the executive vice-premier.
Although it is still two years away, Xi's promotion is likely to spur further speculation over the most important positions in the new leadership line-up, namely the composition of the Politburo Standing Committee.
But trying to predict personnel changes in the mainland leadership is always a foolhardy endeavour, not least because of the utmost secrecy surrounding this issue. So far, few of those positions have been settled and many rounds of lobbying and horse-trading among different factions are expected in the next two years until the final compromise is reached. Other variables also include the degree of influence Hu will wield to promote his allies after he retires in 2012, and that of former president Jiang Zemin - who is believed to still hold considerable sway within the party even though he retired in 2004.
