Fighting corruption and boosting domestic consumption are just some of the topics that hundreds of delegates from the Chinese Communist Party discussed in Beijing.
The four-day meeting, chaired by General Secretary Xi Jinping, ended with the adoption of a comprehensive document on China's five-year economic development plan.
What are the three key points of the meeting?
The fight against corruption will take longer than expected
Analysts who research Chinese politics have been closely monitoring the official numbers of delegates in attendance.
The reason for not appearing at the plenary session chaired by Xi Jinping would have to be quite strong, such as a very serious illness.
However, of the 205 members of the Central Committee, only 168 were there.
We know that one has died, that 10 have already been replaced, which means that 26 are missing.
Does this mean that more senior party officials were removed in the latest “anti-corruption” campaign than reported?
In addition, there are dozens of missing "alternative" delegates who do not have voting rights, but can fill the missing seats if necessary.
The names of the absent delegates are not known, but their number is not small.
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This has led to numerous speculations that they too were removed in the latest raids, which they conducted out of fear of internal party disciplinary inspections.
The numbers are staggering, especially in the military sector.
It seems that of the 33 generals who are members of the Central Committee, 22 were not at the plenum.
Among them are probably eight generals who have been officially dismissed, but where are the other 14?
Who are they and what happened to them?
Due to the non-transparent Chinese governance system, answers to such questions are sometimes lacking.
What is clear is that the CCP was clearing the scene ahead of this rally, so that such dismissals could be official, like the expulsion of He Weidong, the third-ranking official in the Chinese military.
Is this situation a reflection of General Secretary Xi's strength or weakness?
Political analysts are divided on the issue.
Are these the actions of a paranoid leader worried that power blocs could form beyond his control, or is it a reflection of the firm hand of a personality ready to bring down those who behave inappropriately regardless of position and rank?
It looks like there will be no concessions.
The party will remain “unwavering in the fight against corruption,” Jiang Jinchuan, director of the Central Policy Research Office, said at a conference on October 24.
Technological self-sufficiency
When Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet next week in South Korea, the two superpowers will be discussing serious disagreements on trade.
While Beijing wants greater access to American computer chip technology and advanced software, Washington would like to obtain rare minerals and magnets that are mined and produced in China.
The problem is that neither side wants to cede what the other side needs, because that would strengthen the economic and political position of their geopolitical rival.
Therefore, Beijing must seek solutions for its own needs in developing high technology elsewhere, and this leads them to a natural conclusion: when in a dilemma, build it yourself.
China's main goal is to achieve "substantial progress towards scientific and technological self-sufficiency," the statement said.
To make it sufficiently emphatic, "self-sufficiency" is mentioned once again in a document from the Communist Party of China, which was reported by the agency. Xinhua, close to the authorities in Beijing.
"The country must achieve greater self-sufficiency and strength in the fields of science and technology."
"Encourage the development of new quality productive forces (the name for China's economic strategy)," it said.
This phrase by Xi Jinping is used in many documents of state institutions in China.
It implies a desire for domestic products, top quality, and technological advancement, which often refers to the military industry.
This should be achieved through cooperation between the state and the private sector, public companies, and the Chinese army.
It's all based on greater use of more advanced technology, and they hope to be able to implement it without relying on the Americans.
See what the Plenum is that is held every year in China
How to encourage the local population to spend more?
The trade war with America also means the loss of some export markets for China.
This is a strong blow to an economy that relies significantly on the sale of products and goods abroad.
Far for Trump's tariff decisions, experts have warned that China needs to balance its economy and focus more on domestic consumption, rather than exports.
They argue that the current situation, in which domestic consumption contributes very little to China's gross domestic product, is not sustainable in the long term.
Trump's tariffs have brought this issue to the surface.
The additional tariffs have caused lower imports of some types of Chinese goods into America.
Although Chinese exporters have proven to be more resilient than Trump predicted, they now need to find buyers in other countries and make up for the shortfall in the US market.
Some believe that in this geopolitical instability, it is time for China to turn to its large domestic population, which can be a cure for the Chinese economy.
"The country needs to build a strong domestic market and work faster to reach a new level of development," reads a document from the party plenum.
But how is this achieved?
Five-year plans more often bring a broader vision of economic development, rather than a series of concrete measures to achieve it.
Many analysts believe that nothing emerged from the recent meeting to suggest that the government has any new ideas on how to boost Chinese consumption.
In short, how do you convince people to save less and spend more, if they are worried about the housing market crisis and high youth unemployment?
The Communist Party can send messages about "building a strong domestic market," but it also needs lasting solutions.
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