China prepares in earnest for next year's party congress, 'Xi Jinping expected to be re-elected for 4th term'

China has begun preparations in earnest for the 21st National Congress of the Communist Party of China, where President Xi Jinping is expected to be elected for a fourth consecutive term.

On the 7th, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported that the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China recently announced the 'Notice on Work for Representative Election for the 21st Party Congress' and confirmed that the total number of delegates to participate in the Party Congress was 2,360, saying that all work for election of representatives had been completed.

The Central Committee emphasized that it is a significant event for party and national politics, saying, "The 21st Party Congress is an important time to fundamentally realize socialist modernization and is a very important congress held on a new journey toward the goal of the second 100 years of struggle."

Regarding the delegates attending the party convention, he explained, "They must be excellent Communist Party members who follow the party constitution exemplarily and strictly demand themselves according to party member standards." He explained that the screening of candidates' political qualifications will be intensified, the party affiliation will be strictly determined, and political positions and attitudes, political awareness, political judgment, understanding, and executive ability will be evaluated with a focus.

Xinhua News Agency also reported that it was decided to apply the 'one vote rejection' principle, in which politically unsuitable candidates are eliminated regardless of other evaluation results.

The 21st Party Congress representative election begins today and is scheduled to conclude before the end of June next year.

Previously, the Chinese Communist Party decided to hold the 21st Party Congress in Beijing in the second half of next year at the 5th Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee (20th Plenary Session) held from the 26th to the 29th of last month.

Although the specific holding date has not yet been disclosed, the Communist Party has traditionally held its convention in the fall.

It is expected that this party congress will actually decide whether President Xi will be reappointed as General Secretary of the Communist Party for a fourth term.

After becoming general secretary at the 18th Party Congress in 2012, President Xi succeeded in being re-elected in 2017 and 2022. If he is re-elected at the Party Congress next year, he will begin his fourth term.