China to convene Communist Party Congress on October 16

Beijing [China], August 30 : Chinese Communist Party will convene its 20th Party Congress on October 16 in Beijing, state media Global Times reported Tuesday, citing a meeting of the party's Politburo, the country's top decision-making body.
During the meeting, which takes place every five years, Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to secure a third term in office as President while a new top leadership line-up will also be unveiled.
As per the media portal, the meeting decided that the seventh plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee is to be convened on October 9 in Beijing while the 20th CPC National Congress is to be convened on October 16 in Beijing. Presiding over the meeting was Xi Jinping, the general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who seeks a third term in office, is already calling for cadres in leading positions to remain loyal to the spirit of the party. However, one must not be forgetful that Xi Jinping's bid for the President is marred with much-criticized strict "Zero-COVID" policies that have brought the entire nation to the brink of economic collapse.
Despite a rise in the party membership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), President Xi has expressed concern over the loyalty of party members towards him as he continues to bid for the third presidential term.
The party members often have "dual" loyalty, which includes loyalty to the party and loyalty to Xi himself. However, it is crucial to note that most government job positions in the country require the individual have a party membership.
In case a government position does not require party membership, it is extremely difficult for a person to get a promotion without joining the party, Jianli Yang wrote. People who have not joined the part might face obstacles in private sectors as well and can be said for all sectors including business, academia, sports and entertainment.
Despite various attempts by the President to reaffirm party members' commitment to its ideologies, the members are self-serving. While most critical posts are quickly removed by state censors, there has been a rise in the criticism of the Chinese President from potential political opponents, including party members and non-members.
Articles, which are also written by the party elites, are being circulated online to prevent Xi from being elected during the third presidential term. Xi Jinping needs at least 96.7 million loyal party members to secure the term.
A "mind-reading" artificial intelligence which can measure citizens' loyalty to the CCP was developed by researchers at China's Comprehensive National Science Center and it can be used to increase their obedience to the party.