PARTY SEVENTH PLENUM OPENS; FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 006539

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/09/2032
TAGS: PGOV CH
SUBJECT: PARTY SEVENTH PLENUM OPENS; FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR
OCTOBER 15 PARTY CONGRESS UNDERWAY

REF: A. FBIS/OSC CPP 20070726163004


B. BEIJING 6503

C. BEIJING 6157

D. BEIJING 5706

Classified By: Political Internal Unit Chief
Dan Kritenbrink. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (SBU) Final, formal preparations for the October 15 Party
Congress began today with the announcement that the Seventh
plenary session (plenum) of the 16th Chinese Communist Party
(CCP) Central Committee opened the morning of October 9 in
Beijing, as expected (Ref D). According to the Xinhua News
Agency report announcing the opening, the Plenum is charged
with discussing drafts of three key documents to be formally
delivered at next week's Party Congress: A) the 16th Central
Committee's Report to the Congress (commonly referred to as
the "Political Report"),which General Secretary Hu Jintao
will deliver, laying out the Party's accomplishments over the
past five years and its goals for the next five years; B) the
revision to the Party Constitution, most likely to
incorporate concepts such as "Scientific Development"
associated with Hu Jintao (Ref C); and C) the Work Report of
the Central Discipline Inspection Commission's (CDIC). In
what should be a mere formality, the Plenum should also
officially authorize the opening of the 17th Party Congress
on October 15.


2. (SBU) The Plenum may also announce the final determination
regarding the case of Chen Liangyu, the ousted former
Shanghai Party Secretary. When Xinhua on July 26, 2007
announced that Chen had been formally expelled from the Party
and dismissed from his government positions (Ref A),the news
agency said that his expulsion would "subsequently be
confirmed at a plenary session of the CCP Central Committee,"
which should be this week's Plenum. An October 9 article in
the PRC-owned Hong Kong paper Wen Wei Po said that a formal
determination of the case involving Chen Liangyu, as well as
other officials subject to disciplinary proceedings such as
former Shandong Deputy Party Secretary Du Shicheng, will
likely be made at the Seventh Plenum, although according to
the article these cases could also be handled at the Party
Congress itself.

Comment
--------------


3. (C) There are few surprises expected out of this week's
Plenum, whose primary purpose is supposed to be limited to
making final preparations for next week's main event, the
17th Party Congress. A communique summarizing those portions
of Plenum discussions that the Party chooses to make public
should be issued upon the Plenum's close, sometime later this
week. (Note: In 1997 and 2002, the Seventh Plenums of the
14th and 15th CCP Central Committees each lasted three days.)
Piccuta