Revisions to Chinese constitution will be key task for top cadres at plenum

A closed-door meeting of the Communist Party’s most powerful cadres begins on Thursday to discuss revisions to the constitution that include the addition of President Xi Jinping’s political theory. It will be the second full meeting of around 400 party elites from the Central Committee following a major reshuffle at the party congress in October. The two-day meeting will discuss making the first amendments to the constitution for 14 years, which will then be endorsed by the National People’s Congress (NPC). Beijing-based source familiar with the issue confirmed to the South China Morning Post that “Xi Jinping Thought” would be included in the preamble of the constitution. The meeting would, however, also include discussion of a revision that will pave the way for the new National Supervision Commission to be established, the source said. The all-encompassing anti-graft Commission will have huge prosecution power and is being set up under a national supervision law that is expected to be submitted to the NPC for passage.