Summit of political elite opens in China as Xi eyes extraordinary third term

President expected to move to consolidate power at four-day closed-door meeting in Beijing

A meeting of hundreds of members of China's political elite, which is expected to pave the way for Xi Jinping to consolidate power with an extraordinary third term as president, has opened in Beijing.

The four-day, closed-door meeting of the ruling Chinese Communist party (CCP) central committee, known as the sixth plenum, is expected to produce a resolution on the history of the party, which analysts say will shape domestic politics and society for decades to come.