Gregory B. Poling, senior fellow for
Southeast Asia and director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, and senior associate
Murray Hiebert entitled "Vietnam Party Congress Meets to Choose Leaders, Set Policy Direction":
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The Vietnam Communist Party launched its 13th congress on
January 25, a crucial meeting held every five years to choose the country's top leaders and set its major policy course. Nearly 1,600 delegates will seek to set a direction to boost economic growth and navigate the nation's greatest foreign policy challenge: increasing competition between the world's two superpowers,
China and
Q1: What issues will the party congress address?
A1: The biggest issue is leadership succession, which has preoccupied the upper echelons of the party for much of the past year. First the Central Committee, a body of about 200 members responsible for implementing decisions taken by the party congress, must be selected. That committee will then elect the Politburo, the most powerful decisionmaking body in the party, from a pre-approved list of candidates. The last Politburo consisted of 19 members. The new one will propose candidates for the top four leadership positions: party general secretary, prime minister, state president, and chair of the country's legislature, called the