When the Chinese Communist Party holds its convention next month, President Xi Jinping, who has already been given the designation of "core" leader, is expected to make every effort to concentrate power with himself. Japan needs to work out its strategy toward China by carefully watching the developments in Beijing and the setup of a new Chinese leadership.
The CCP convention, held every five years, will open on Oct. 18. During the last party convention in 2012, Xi was elected to his first term as party general secretary. Following this year's convention, the party's Central Committee will hold a plenary meeting and launch a new leadership under Xi's second term.
Xi's domestic policy has been made up of two pillars — political regimentation characterized by crackdowns on pro-democracy movements and a vigorous campaign to eradicate corruption among party and government officials. On the foreign policy front, Xi is intent on aggressively pursuing China's maritime interests while pushing the "One Belt, One Road" initiative, a cross-continental infrastructure development project widely deemed as an attempt at expanding China's international clout.