China's Communist Party elects delegates for congress

President Xi is expected to secure an unprecedented third term during key political meeting starting Oct 16

China's Communist Party said on Sunday that it had elected all the delegates attending a key political meeting starting October 16, where President Xi Jinping is expected to secure an unprecedented third term.

The twice-in-a-decade conclave will also see a shuffle of personnel on the party's powerful decision-making body, the Politburo.

"Each electoral unit across the country convened a party congress or party representative meeting and elected 2,296 delegates to the 20th Party Congress," state broadcaster CCTV said.

The delegates must adhere to Xi's political ideology in addition to the party constitution, CCTV said.

The representatives include women, ethnic minority party members and those specialising in various fields, such as economics, science and sports, CCTV said.

The congress in the capital Beijing comes as Xi faces significant political headwinds, including an ailing economy, deteriorating relations with the United States and a strict zero-Covid policy that has accelerated China's inward turn from the world.