5 Things to Watch for at China’s Upcoming Communist Congress

A key measure of Xi Jinping's power will be how many of his supporters are installed in the Politburo and its Standing Committee come November

The Chinese Communist Party introduces its new Politburo Standing Committee after the last National Congress in 2012, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 15, 2012. Five of the members of the top party organ are now set to retire: (L-R) Liu Yunshan (set to retire), Zhang Dejiang (set to retire), Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Gaoli (set to retire), Yu Zhengsheng (set to retire) and Wang Qishan (set to retire). MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

Chinese leader Xi Jinping may have a chance to secure his hold on the Chinese Communist Party—if he can get his allies onto the Party’s top decision-making body—when the Party holds its 19th National Congress starting on Oct. 18.

The Politburo Standing Committee, which currently has seven members, has been the ruling body of the Chinese regime for decades. Members of the Standing Committee are drawn from the 25-member Politburo; thus, powerful elders and factions within the Communist Party have strived to secure seats for their protégés in the Politburo before the Party congress in hopes of securing a place on the Standing Committee.