Delegates arrive in Beijing as congress finalizes preparations

Delegates to the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China began to arrive in Beijing on Friday as the CPC finalizes its preparations for the five-yearly conference.

Airlines staff welcome delegations at the Beijing Capital International Airport.

The first delegation, from the Tibet Autonomous Region, landed at the Beijing Capital International Airport at noon, ready for the start of the congress next Monday that will decide China's new leadership and the path China will follow in the next five years or more.

"The 17th Party congress will elect a new central committee and a new central discipline commission," said Li Kang, a delegate from south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, as he took pictures at the airport after he arrived also at noon.

"There will be a succession of the older generation by the younger generation. It will be an important occasion, and I will perform my duty well," said Li, director of the personnel department of Guangxi.

A dozen delegations arrived in Beijing on Friday. Around 2,200 delegates, representing more than 73 million Party members, are expected to attend the conference.

The CPC is also going to amend its Constitution in the upcoming congress to reflect the "scientific concept of development" and other major theoretical developments since the current 16th CPC Central Committee was formed in 2002.

Also on Friday, the 16th CPC Central Committee concluded its seventh plenary session, adopting a political report to be submitted to the 17th Party congress, and proposing an amendment to the party Constitution.

A communiqué on the plenary session applauded the work done by the Political Bureau of the current CPC Central Committee.

The Political Bureau has made new, prominent achievements in different aspects of the nation, taken a firm step toward a moderately prosperous society and the goal set by the 16th Party congress, and created favorable conditions for the 17th Party congress, said the communiqué.

China has scored double-digit economic growth for the past four consecutive years. China's gross domestic product (GDP) surpassed that of France and Britain in 2005, making it the fourth largest economy in the world after the United States, Japan and Germany.

Per capita GDP almost doubled in the past four years, from 1,100 U.S. dollars in 2002 to 2,010 U.S. dollars in 2006, lifting China's position in world per capita GDP chart from 132nd to 129th.

But China's economic miracle has been achieved alongside a worsening environment, a widening rich-poor gap and worries as to how long the miracle can last, analysts say.

Hu Jintao, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, stressed in a speech earlier this year the importance of applying the scientific concept of development, promoting social harmony and building a moderately prosperous society.

"Under the current international backdrop, China faces unprecedented opportunities and challenges, which require us to have a clear view of today's China and the world, meet new demands of development and new expectations of the public, draw experience and make scientific guidelines," said Hu.

The political catchphrase, "scientific concept of development", focuses on a people-oriented, overall, coordinated and sustainable development, according to Hu.

Ordinary Chinese have their own hopes for the upcoming congress.

Liu Tianxiao, 56, a resident in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, told Xinhua that he hopes China could have a cleaner natural environment.

"Incidents of pollution have alarmed China. We should have clearer air, more blue sky and cleaner water, but less consumption of energy and less pollution," he said.