Chinese Communist party holds crucial high-level meeting

The Chinese Communist party's most powerful decision making body, the Central Committee, today opened its 6th plenary meeting to prepare for sweeping changes in the party leadership next year.

Over 200 Central Committee members and another 150 alternate members picked up from military, government and the provincial committees are meeting in the capital, Beijing, to discuss how to keep the world's most powerful communist party relevant in China for years to come.

The party's Central Committee is meeting in the background of high inflation, escalating cost of housing and social and economic problem causing unrest in rural areas.

"The Central Committee members will discuss deepening the reform process of the country's cultural system and promoting the development and prosperity of the socialist culture at the plenum," Xinhua reported.

The crucial meeting is taking place as the country's top leadership including President Hu Jintao, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao along with most of the collective leadership is preparing to standdown and give way to a new leadership.

According to report the President before laying down office will be seeking to reinforce his position in the party by ensuring that his proteges and allies secure key berths.

Though independent sources have speculated on intense behind the scene manoeuvring, the party elite has taken steps to ensure that these machinations don't become public.

At the conclusion of the last year's meeting Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping was promoted to vice chairman of the key military committee of the party in clearest indications that he would take over as China's future leader.