Beginning today (October 26), the Communist Party of China (CPC) is holding a four-day meeting of its top leaders in Beijing, known as the fifth plenum. Such meetings have previously heralded key policies — including the 1978 liberalisation of the Chinese economy.

This year, the meeting comes as the rest of the world keenly watches China’s position in sectors ranging from artificial intelligence (AI) to manufacturing. At the same time, its economy is no longer growing at the rates it did a few years ago, and corruption within the CPC has been touted as a major reason for purging senior military leaders.

What can the closed-door event reveal about the priorities of Chinese leaders? G Venkat Raman , professor at IIM Indore and fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), New Delhi, explains.

What are CPC Central Committee plenums?

The CPC holds a National Congress every five years to set its broad political direction and elect a Central Committee.…