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BEIJING: China's most important political event in five years, the Communist Party Congress, is scheduled to close on Sunday with the new leadership expected to be announced soon afterwards.
At the close of the congress -- which determines the party's future agenda and approves a new leadership -- a new central committee will be announced, who will then pick China's top leaders for the next five years.
Members of the central committee -- around 200 senior cadres who can have a say in key party decisions -- are expected to choose members for the powerful Politburo and the elite Politburo Standing Committee in its first plenum on Monday.
All eyes will be on the final line-up of China's apex of power who will have to tackle the issues which Beijing will face in the years ahead, among which is environmental pollution.
In June this year, residents in Wuxi near Shanghai city, woke up to a rude shock to find their tap water contaminated by a sudden algae bloom in Taihu, China's third largest freshwater lake.
Many were shaken, as this is the first time they felt the direct impact of environmental pollution.
Speaking at the opening of the party congress on Monday, Chinese President Hu Jintao acknowledged that the country has paid a high price for its rapid economic development over the years.
China's economic development reached 11.9 percent in the second quarter from last year, the fastest in more than a decade.
The country also consumes 30 percent of the world's steel, and 54 percent of the world's cement supply annually.
All that has prompted Beijing to re-examine its development policy, and take a more sustainable strategy.
In a discussion with delegates, Mr Hu said China's future development must be "good and fast", with the emphasis on quality - a sentiment shared by senior delegates.
Xi Jinping, Shanghai Party Secretary, said: "We must improve on energy saving. We need to promote new technology, and everyone need to be aware of the need to save resources."
As the clock ticks closer to the congress closing ceremony, all eyes are watching for the final line-up of China's apex of power, as they will face the formidable task of managing the rising aspirations and complexities of the world's largest population.
To cope with the new challenges and better reflect the social changes in the country, the Communist Party has included representation from the new social strata - businessmen and senior executives working for foreign enterprises.
Although there are only 11,000 of them out of more than 73 million party members, the number is expected to increase with China's demographic changes. - CNA/ir
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