China's Communist Party Congress to open October 16

The congress — held every five years — will be an "extremely important conference".

China's ruling Communist Party will begin its 20th Party Congress on October 16, state media reported Tuesday, a landmark meeting at which President Xi Jinping is expected to be anointed as the country's most powerful leader in decades.

The meeting in the capital Beijing is widely expected to see Mr. Xi reinstated as president for an unprecedented third term.

It will also see the unveiling of a new top leadership line-up, as Mr. Xi consolidates his grip on the party and his position as the most powerful Chinese leader since the country's founder Mao Zedong.

The congress — held every five years — will be an "extremely important conference", according to a report by state broadcaster CCTV on a Monday meeting of the country's 25-member Politburo.

Preparatory work for the conference is "progressing smoothly", the report added.

The event will see about 2,300 Communist Party delegates from across the country descend on Beijing in a highly choreographed exercise to pick members of the party's Central Committee of around 200 members.

The final meeting of the current Central Committee will take place in Beijing from October 9, the report said.