China's ruling Communist Party will on Monday kick off four days of key closed-door discussions, formulating core economic strategy for coming years as growth flags and trade headwinds mount.

The gathering of the Central Committee — an elite body composed of around 200 members and 170 alternates — will be crucial in determining longstanding policy objectives in the world's second-largest economy.

Foreign media access to attending officials is highly restricted during the event, which typically opens and closes in Beijing's grandiose Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square.