China sets Oct. 16 opening date for Communist Party congress

BEIJING (AP) — China says a key congress of the ruling Communist Party at which leader Xi Jinping is expected to be granted a third five-year term will open on Oct. 16. Such congresses are held every five years and usually bring in a new slate of leaders. Xi, who is also head of state, broke with convention in 2018 by amending the party constitution to remove all term limits on the presidency, essentially making him leader for life. Xi’s party brooks no political opposition and has increasingly been cracking down on independent actors in the economy, civil society and religious circles. Xi has also mounted an increasingly assertive foreign policy, raising concerns about a possible confrontation with the U.S.