China is on the verge of installing a new leader, presumably Vice President Xi Jingping, to lead the nation for the coming decade at a time when its economy and society are showing strains and its growing military expansion and tensions with its neighbors, particularly Japan, are promising turbulence ahead.
The helm change is being initiated by the Chinese Communist Party's 18th National Congress, which kicked off last Thursday. The gathering is expected to usher in a new era under Xi, who will be in charge for the next 10 years.
Saddled with a host of problems, China in many ways is at a turning point.