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Chinese state media confirming that the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will take place 16 October. The crucial event takes place once every five years.

• The large set-piece event will likely prove a landmark moment in Chinese political history, with President Xi Jinping likely to begin an unorthodox third five-year term at the end of the 2,000-strong meeting of party officials in Beijing, becoming the first Chinese leader since Mao Zedong to remain in office for a third term.
• SCMP reports: "The announcement [of the Congress' date] usually indicates that most of the closed-door negotiations on key positions are over, though there could be last-minute adjustments. The most important decisions are usually made ahead of the party congress, which largely serves as a formal occasion to legitimise and communicate those decisions to delegates."
• What will also be observed closely is the selection of the Communist Party's next Central Committee, formed by 300 high-ranking CCP members. At the 1st Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee, its members in turn decide on the make-up of the 25-strong Politburo and at its peak, the seven-member Standing Committee.
• The Standing Committee is viewed as an important staging post for presidential hopefuls, and the identities of those selected for the positions could indicate the longer term plans for President Xi, of whether he installs potential protegees that could gain his support, or older party officials that are unlikely to offer a challenge to the incumbent.