Chinese Communist Party Congress kicks off

오늘 중국 19차 당 대회 개막... 새 지도부 선출
The congress of the Chinese Communist Party, where the party will amend its charter and select its top leadership, has kicked off.
President Xi Jinping will try to further tighten his grip on power by naming his allies to top leadership posts,... as he's set for a second five-year term as the nation's leader.
For more, we have our Oh Jung-hee on the line...
Jung-hee, the congress has started this morning.
What could we hear from the Chinese President, and what will be C-P-C be focusing on?

Hi, Mark.
The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, or CPC, opened roughly 3 hours ago in Beijing.
This is a huge political event held once every five years,... and for this congress, the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, will be starting his second term and hoping to consolidate his power even further.
He's already been declared a 'core leader' of the party -- a status that's on par with the CPC founder Mao Zedong and his successor Deng Xiaoping.
During the opening remarks this morning, Xi emphasized that this congress will focus on making a 'Xiaokang' society -- where all citizens can enjoy comfortable and affluent lives -- and strive to achieve 'socialism with Chinese characteristics'.
It also seems through this congress, the Party will strengthen its anti-corruption campaign...
The congress spokesperson said yesterday that the party will make clear... that any one who violates the Party discipline and the state law will be punished no matter who they are.

What will the C-P-C be doing and what are some points to watch for?

During this week-long congress, the Party will make amendments to the Party's Constitution, incorporating the new governance concepts, thoughts and strategies of President Xi... and setting a blueprint for national development for the next five years and beyond.
A lot of attention will be focused on changes in leadership structure. That's who will be appointed as the new members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the nation's ruling party,... which is China's top decision-making body.
Except for President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, five of the seven members of the committee are set to retire.
Some of the rising stars who are expected to take over the reins include Chongqing municipality party chief, Chen Min'er,... described as Xi's trusted confidant, and Guangdong party chief, Hu Chunhua.

And for the opening of the congress, North Korea's known to have sent a congratulatory message to China?

Yes, Mark...
North Korean state media reported Wednesday... that the regime's ruling Workers' Party sent its warm greetings to the CCP and the Chinese people... and hopes for a 'satisfactory success' of the congress.
But Pyongyang's message for this congress was only three sentences long,...
and that's much shorter than the message it sent to Beijing for the previous congress in 2012... which was over 800 characters long.
Also, while the previous messages have always emphasized 'securing and advancing the two's long friendship,'... there was no mention of that for this year's congress... which reflects the rather cold relations between the two over Beijing's sanctions against Pyongyang for continued provocations.

That's all I have for now... I'll be back with more updates for later newscasts.

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