18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party

18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party

Date	8–14 November 2012 (8 days)
Location	Great Hall of the People, Beijing, China
Participants	2,268 delegates
Outcome	Election of the 18th Central Committee and 18th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection
Website	www.xinhuanet.com/english/special/18cpcnc/topnews.htm

The 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was held November 8-15, 2012^[1] at the Great Hall of the People. It was preceded by the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.^[2][3] Due to term limits and age restrictions, seven of the nine members of the powerful Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) retired during the Congress, including Hu Jintao, who was replaced by Xi Jinping as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. The Congress elected the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, and saw the number of Politburo Standing Committee seats reduced from nine to seven. It was succeeded by the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.

The seven PSC members elected during the Congress were Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli. Five of these were identified as associates or having benefited from the patronage of former Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin, who reportedly exerted considerable influence in shaping the composition of the new Standing Committee. Only Li Keqiang and Liu Yunshan are considered to be members of the tuanpai.^[4]