17th National Congress of The Communist Party of China - Issues Before The Congress

Issues Before The Congress

• September 2006: Shanghai Party chief Chen Liangyu is arrested on corruption charges. This is perceived as an attack on the Shanghai Gang by the Hu-Wen alliance.
• 16 October: Xinhua carries an official commentary attacking "cliques" within the Party, perceived as a reference to the Shanghai clique.
• February 2007: Party elder Li Rui and retired academic Xie Tao published articles calling for the CPC to become a European-style socialist party; their remarks were condemned by the Party propaganda apparatus.
• 15 March: Prime Minister Wen Jiabao told foreign journalists he supported further political reform. The remarks were initially omitted from the official transcript, allegedly on the orders of hardline propaganda chief Li Changchun.
• 28 April: Academic Wan Gang becomes the first non-CPC minister in half a century, on being appointed Minister of Science and Technology
• 25 June: In a major speech at the Central Party School, General Secretary Hu announces the 'Four Steadfasts': an open-minded attitude, reform and opening up, and a moderately well-off (xiaokang) society by 2020.
• July: Chen Liangyu is formally convicted and expelled from the Party.
• Mid-August: Top CPC leaders discussed the Congress' decisions at their annual Beidaihe retreat. Some Hong Kong sources claim they decided the shortlists for the new Central Committee and Politburo, while others argued that basic PSC positions were still up for grabs.
• 19 August: Five national newspapers run identical front pages (shown here), all giving prominence to General secretary Hu.
• 28 August: A Politburo meeting decides dates of the 17th Party Congress, and the final meeting of the 16th Central Committee.
• 30 August: A reshuffle promoted Meng Xuenong, former Mayor of Beijing and tuanpai politician, to Governor of Shanxi, whilst ousting Finance Minister Jin Renqing, who was allegedly placed in detention. Zhang Qingwei become the PRC's youngest ever minister, becoming Chairman of the Commission for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense after a career in the successful space programme. Ma Wen, deputy secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), added the Ministry of Supervision to her responsibilities.
• 6 September: Ma Wen gained a third role as head of a newly-created National Bureau of Corruption Prevention. Unlike the CCDI, this does not investigate individual cases and is a government, rather than Party, organ. This led to speculation that the Congress will highlight the Hu-Wen leadership's anti-corruption drive.
• Mid-September: The Ministry of Public Security conducted the largest crackdown on Web sites and data hosts in history a month before the event.
• 18 September: State media announced that the Politburo had submitted an amendment to the CPC Constitution that would entrench Hu's "Scientific Development Concept" ideology alongside the theories of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and Jiang Zemin's Three Represents. The announcement stressed the role of General secretary Hu and phrases associated with him.
• 19 September: Petitioners in Beijing's Fengtai District ordered to move from their homes due to construction work for the 17th Party Congress; the work was completed by 26 September.
• 19 September: In a move predicted by the Hong Kong press, Ling Jihua, a tuanpai member and Hu ally, replaced Wang Gang as director of the Central Committee's General Office.
• 21 September: A People's Daily commentary heralded "new good tidings from Shanghai", adding to speculation that Shanghai chief Xi Jinping was headed for promotion, as the Shanghai Party emerged from the Chen Liangyu scandal.
• 27 September: U.S.-based Duowei reported that Wu Bangguo had undergone cancer surgery. The same day, he made his first public appearance since 31 August.
• 29 September: Wu Bangguo was noticeably not present at the Politburo meeting as broadcast by Xinwen Lianbo, while all other Politburo Standing Committee members were given camera time. Also unconventional was the fact that no Politburo Standing Committee members were named except for Hu Jintao.
• 1 October: Hu Jintao visits Shanghai during National Day, a day after all eight PSC members attended a National Day banquet in Beijing. The move is seen as an affirmation of Shanghai and symbolizes unity between Shanghai and the central leadership. Hu is also to open the Special Olympics there.
• 4 October: Duowei makes their final predictions on the nine members of the new politburo. Namely, in order ranking, they are Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang.
• 9 October: The 7th Plenum of the 16th Central Committee meets to finalize the agenda for the Congress. A key decision involving the entrenchment of Hu's Scientific Development Concept and Socialist Harmonious Society has taken place with discussions from delegates of the 16th Central Committee.
• 14 October: Taiwan-based China Times announces their final speculative shortlist for the PSC. The list is identical to Duowei's shortlist 10 days earlier.