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The Chinese Party Congress set to open on Sunday already has Xi Jinping on edge. These gatherings happen only every five years, and this time it is expected to ratify his plan to void term limits and make him in effect dictator-for-life. While it is impossible for outsiders to know the extent of opposition to Xi, almost certainly there are factions that are dead set against this move, based on personal and regional loyalties if not on opposition to his policies and intention to make himself another Mao Zedong. Thus, a demonstration attacking Xi that broke out in an affluent...

Exclusive: China considers delay of key party congress: sources By Benjamin Kang Lim and Nick Edwards BEIJING | Tue May 8, 2012 5:28pm EDT (Reuters) - China's ruling Communist Party is seriously considering a delay in its upcoming five-yearly congress by a few months amid internal debate over the size and makeup of its top decision-making body, sources said, as the party struggles to finalize a once-in-a-decade leadership change. The two most senior posts, of president and premier, are not considered in much doubt. But any delay in the congress, no matter the official reason, would likely fuel speculation of...

Start of Party Congress 'Depends on Kim Jong-il's Health' North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's health will determine when the third extraordinary congress of the North Korean Workers Party finally starts, a North Korea expert speculates. The congress is the first of its kind in 44 years. Quoting a North Korean source, Open Radio for North Korea chief Ha Tae-keung on Wednesday said the congress has been delayed because the regime is looking for days when the ailing leader's health is likely to be good enough to perform his duties. In announcing the congress, the North did not name a date...

China rules out West's democracy By Michael Bristow BBC News, Beijing China will never have Western-style democracy, a senior official said on the eve of the country's most important political meeting in five years. But Li Dongsheng, spokesman for the Communist Party's 17th congress, said China would pursue political reform. Mr Li was speaking at a news conference ahead of the congress, which opens in the capital, Beijing, on Monday. Some party members have called for political changes to accompany economic reforms, which have transformed China. The majority of people have enjoyed real benefits from reform and opening up Li...