China's heir apparent to the leadership, Vice President Mr Hu Jintao, has been elected to head the organisation of the crucial 16th Party Congress.
More than 2,000 party delegates gathered in Beijing to choose 200 or so members to supervise the 16th congress. Party chief Mr Jiang Zemin and other leaders are due to retire at the conference, which begins tomorrow.
Mr Hu will be secretary general of the 32-member Congress Presidium, a body which chairs the event, a Congress spokesman announced.
The presidium organises reports and handles electoral procedures before being disbanded when the gathering ends.
The appointment was the first formal indication in a complex succession process of who will lead China through the next few years of economic and social change.
Mr Hu held the same position at the last Congress in 1997. Perhaps more significant was the announcement that one of Mr Hu's four deputy secretary-generals will be Mr Zeng Qinghong, known as the closest political ally of President Mr Jiang Zemin, who is tipped to hand over power to Mr Hu in a process beginning at the Congress.
Analysts have said that Mr Jiang is keen to hang on to some influence despite his formal retirement by appointing his protégés to key posts.
AFP