China plans key political meeting on July 15-18: State Media
China's President Xi Jinping speaks at the "Senior Chinese Leader Event" held by the National Committee on US-China Relations and the US-China Business Council on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, California, U.S., November 15, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS
China will hold a key political meeting historically watched for signals on economic direction from July 15-18, state media reported Thursday.
A year and a half after crippling Covid-19 restrictions ended, China's recovery has lost pace, sending ripples of unease through the country's leaders and citizens.
The Third Plenum, originally expected last autumn, is highly anticipated in the hope it will resolve uncertainty and reveal details of the Chinese leadership's strategy going forward.
Announcing the dates, state news agency Xinhua said the meeting would "primarily examine issues related to further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization".
Authorities have been clear they want to re-orientate the economy around high-tech innovation and domestic consumption.
But economic uncertainty is fuelling a vicious cycle that has kept the latter stubbornly low.
So far, President Xi Jinping's government has resisted any big stimulus, and last week the head of China's central bank warned that was not on the cards.
The economy still faced many challenges, he said, but authorities would exercise moderation.