17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party

17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party
17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party
Traditional Chinese	中國共產黨第十七次全國代表大會
Simplified Chinese	中国共产党第十七次全国代表大会
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Dìshíqícì Quánguó Dàibiǎo Dàhuì
Abbreviation
Chinese	十七大
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Shíqí Dà

17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party
Date	15–21 October 2007 (7 days)
Location	Great Hall of the People, Beijing, China
Participants	2,213 delegates
Outcome	Election of the 17th Central Committee and 17th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection
Website	www.china.org.cn/english/congress/225855.htm

The 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was held in Beijing, China, at the Great Hall of the People from 15 to 21 October 2007. Congress marked a significant shift in the political direction of the country as CCP General Secretary Hu Jintao solidified his position of leadership. Hu's signature policy doctrine, the Scientific Development Concept, which aimed to create a "Socialist Harmonious Society" through egalitarian wealth distribution and concern for the country's less well-off, was enshrined into the Party Constitution. It was succeeded by the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.^[1]

The Congress also set up the political scene for a smooth transition to the fifth generation of party leadership, introducing rising political stars Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang to the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), the country's de facto top decision-making body. Vice-President Zeng Qinghong, an important ally of former General secretary Jiang Zemin, retired from the PSC. Party anti-graft chief Wu Guanzheng, and Legal and Political Commission chief Luo Gan also retired due to age, replaced by He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang in their respective posts.