CPC congress prepares to convene

The new members of the Communist Party of China will meet with foreign and domestic journalists after the party's congress adjourns next week, officials said. More than 2,200 delegates were in Beijing for the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China to deliberate on issues concerning the development of the party and the country, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday. Delegations attending the conference that runs from Thursday through Nov. 14 represent the Chinese mainland's 31 provincial regions, CPC Central Committee units, central government agencies, government-controlled enterprises, the country's central financial system, the People's Liberation Army, police and CPC members of Taiwan origin, officials said. Once the congress ends, the 18th CPC Central Committee and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection will conduct its first plenary sessions to elect new leadership, Cai Mingzhao, a spokesman for the congress, told reporters. After the Central Committee's plenary session, the members will meet Chinese and foreign journalists, Cai said. More than 1,700 overseas reporters are covering the congress, which meets every five years.