CHINA:General secretary Hu Jintao needs to balance the demands of reformers and conservatives as the Chinese Communist Party meets, writes Clifford Coonanin Beijing.
China's ruling communists gathered for a major five-yearly meeting in Beijing yesterday, insisting that the party would never mimic the western political model and saying any political reform would be entirely on Chinese terms.
Audis and VWs with blacked-out windows whisked cadres from all over China from Beijing airport to destinations around the city ahead of the 17th party congress, known to the taxi drivers, pedestrians and waiters alike as the "Big 17th", which will elect more than 350 full and alternate members of the central committee.
There is no question that Hu Jintao will win a second five-year term as party general secretary, but the congress remains a big political test for Hu, who is also president and head of the army, to see how many allies he can get on to the standing committee and the politburo. One question is whether his influence is weighty enough to appoint an heir apparent.
While there is a buzz of expectation on the streets about the congress, any decisions made will be behind firmly closed doors and the terms of the meeting have already been decided by Hu, who will use the conclave to strengthen his grip on power and set out a future course for both the 73 million member party and the country of 1.3 billion people.
"Our party emphasises holding up high the great banner of socialism with distinct Chinese characteristics. We will never copy the model of the western political system," spokesman Li Dongsheng told a news conference on the eve of the meeting.
The congress takes place against a background of increased transparency of how the communist party operates. Foreign press have been given full permission to report on the event, with shuttle buses organised to and from the Great Hall of the People and e-mail reminders to check the website for latest updates.
However, so much of what goes on remains cloaked in secrecy. There has been talk of greater democracy within the decision-making central committee, but no one knows any details. We do not even know how big the elite politburo will be. All we know is that at the moment the opaque black box that runs the world's most populous country and its fourth largest economy has 23 members.
Hu needs to balance the demands of his reformist backers and the conservative old guard, which is unhappy at market reforms and the introduction of controversial laws, such as those protecting private property.
He must juggle positions at the top of the party to get rid of cadres installed under his predecessor, Jiang Zemin, in favour of promoting younger leaders who will form the core of the "fifth generation" of the Chinese Communist Party.
Hu replaced the 81-year-old Jiang as general secretary of the central committee at the 16th congress in 2002, state president in 2003 and military chief in 2004, completing China's first smooth transition of leadership since the 1949 revolution. But Jiang has continued to wield power behind the scenes through his allies in key positions.
Among those tipped to join the nine-member politburo standing committee, and therefore enter the frame as possible successors, are Li Keqiang, party secretary from Liaoning province; Li Yuanchao, party secretary of Jiangsu province; Xi Jinping from Shanghai; and Wang Yang, party secretary for the municipality of Chongqing.
When the congress opens amid waving red banners and communist pomp in the Great Hall of the People today, we can expect Hu to outline a lengthy list of achievements to resounding applause from the 2,200 delegates.
It's a long way from the first party congress in Shanghai in 1921, when 13 delegates took part, including the politically savvy Mao Tse-tung, with grudging backing from the Soviet Union. Back then there were just 60 communists in China.
Although the party has abandoned communism in practice, its procedure remains firmly couched in the language of Marxism-Leninism, and we can expect much talk of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In recent years, it has allowed entrepreneurs into its ranks.
There has been a crackdown ahead of the talks. Controversial movies and talk radio shows have been banned, dissidents rounded up, traffic rules enforced, brothels closed and a general air of moral rectitude imposed. Paragliding, private aircraft, model planes and parasailing have all been banned for the event.