Ahead of party conclave, Xi's grip on power is unshakable
Last weekend, Twitter was abuzz with "news" that there had been a military coup in Beijing and President Xi Jinping was under house arrest.
The grist to the rumour mill: Hundreds of flights had been cancelled across the country, Mr Xi had not been seen in public for a week, and a video showing a military convoy making its way into the capital city was being widely circulated.
Unsubstantiated claims and conspiracy theories about Chinese leaders' fall and demise come and go with enough regularity to make the most seasoned China watchers roll their eyes every time one of them pops up on social media.
What the apex of power may look like
The 101-year-old Communist Party of China swept to power 73 years ago on Saturday, but is still one of the world's most opaque political parties.
As it gears up for its twice-a-decade congress in two weeks, where nearly 2,300 delegates will elect a new Central Committee made up of the nation's top 370 or so leaders, it is keeping political pundits guessing over who might rise in the ranks to lead the country of 1.4 billion people.
The Politburo Standing Committee - the pinnacle of power with seven men - and the wider Politburo of 18 other leaders will be of particular interest to most.
Economic, demographic issues could dent CPC's legitimacy
China's next batch of political elites will need to focus on revving up the country's flagging economy to maintain the high level of public trust the ruling party currently enjoys.
Boosting the country's plummeting fertility rate is another daunting mission they must accomplish during their term to better ensure social stability, analysts said.
"The party will concentrate on dealing with a demographic shift as the country gets older," said Professor Rana Mitter of the University of Oxford, citing rising healthcare expenses as an area of growing importance.
Chinese President Xi Jinping's remarkable rise to power
Chinese President Xi Jinping will, by all indications, assume a third term in power when delegates gather in Beijing later in October for the Communist Party congress.
In the 10 years since he became China's paramount leader, the 69-year-old has consolidated his grip on power, eliminating political rivals through his anti-graft campaign, and abolishing constitutional term limits for the country's president.
Now, Mr Xi is widely expected to emerge from the 20th Party Congress at the helm of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and to rule for at least another five years.
What to expect before, during and after China's party congress
The most important conclave of the Communist Party of China (CPC) happens every five years, when more than 2,000 delegates - representing 96 million members - gather to choose their top leaders who will set the direction of the country.
What happens at this party congress has ramifications not just for the 1.4 billion people in China, but also for the world.
But the process of selecting the elite officials is little known to most people, largely because the system is an opaque one where debates, horse-trading and voting happen firmly behind closed doors.
