news: China watched for leadership sign

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China's Communist Party has opened a key annual meeting which might indicate leadership succession plans.
& Q7 A8 V* l- y! y. B1 d* fThe four-day session is widely expected to promote Vice President Xi Jinping to the powerful military commission.
! q! q# a" x) T: g4 o0 O) ZThis would make him a clear front-runner to succeed Hu Jintao as party leader in 2012, and president in 2013.
Analysts say the party will also use the meeting to promote unity ahead of next month's celebrations to mark the 60-year anniversary of Communist rule.
A regulation requiring party cadres to reveal their family wealth and assets is reportedly up for discussion.
Closed talks
& D. v% O( ?- c/ Z4 XThe Central Committee full session, or plenum, will meet behind closed doors until Friday.
1 w) c/ e, a. r+ h" t0 cAccording to state news agency Xinhua, the 204-member committee will discuss a draft document on "party building" which covers everything from the battle against corruption to recruitment for the 75 million-member party.
It is hard to predict the inner workings of China's top leadership, but analysts are primarily watching this meeting for signs that Xi Jinping will cement his status by gaining a seat at the powerful military commission.
Mr Xi became the heir apparent when he was appointed to the Politburo Standing Committee two years ago, and is widely seen to have done well in his position of vice-president since then.
President Hu was elected to the military commission in 1999, paving the way for his rise to the presidency less than four years later, and Mr Xi is expected to follow the same trajectory.
: _$ B1 t8 u& kThe military commission is in charge of the 2.3 million-strong People's Liberation Army.
3 w) n$ O8 q" q* `The son of a communist revolutionary hero, 56-year-old Mr Xi is married to a well-known singer.
He has served in the past as the top party official in the eastern provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang, and more recently as Shanghai's top leader.