BEIJING — The presidium of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held its first meeting on the afternoon of Oct 17, approving a report on the examination of delegates’ qualifications by the delegate credentials committee.

The delegates elected are in general outstanding Party members with high ideological and political quality, good style in conduct, strong capability in discussing political affairs, and good professional performance, and they are highly representative, the report said.

Xi Jinping was present and delivered a speech.

Presided over by the congress’ secretary-general Liu Yunshan, the meeting approved a list of the presidium’s 42-member Standing Committee including Xi.

Liu Qibao, Meng Jianzhu, Zhao Leji and Li Zhanshu were approved as deputy secretaries-general of the congress.

According to the examination report, 2,287 delegates were elected from electoral units across the country and the list had been published with the approval of the CPC Central Committee. After examination, qualifications of 2,280 were confirmed valid, putting the actual number of delegates attending the congress at 2,280.

The election began in November last year, the report said, noting that almost all primary CPC organizations and up to 99.2 percent of more than 89 million Party members took part in the election, up from 98 percent five years ago.

It stressed that the election was a competitive one, and more than 15 percent of the preliminary nominees had been eliminated in each electoral unit during the process, except Tibet and Xinjiang, which had been approved to exercise non-competitive election.

The report said that in light of the practice of the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee specially invited 74 delegates to attend the 19th congress and they would enjoy equal rights as elected delegates.

A draft electoral method of the 19th CPC National Congress was approved at the meeting and was handed over to each delegation for deliberation.

The CPC Central Committee decided to invite relevant leading Party officials and a group of non-Communist figures to attend the congress as non-voting participants.

The non-voting participants, totaling 405, include non-delegate members and alternate members of the 18th CPC Central Committee and non-delegate members of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, non-delegates nor specially invited delegates but former members of the Central Advisory Commission, among others.

In addition, 149 guests were invited to attend the opening and closing sessions of the congress.

The twice-a-decade congress will open on Oct 18 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, and last till Oct 24.

Xi Jinping is present at the first meeting of the presidium of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct 17, 2017.[Photo/Xinhua]

The presidium of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) holds its first meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct 17, 2017. Xi Jinping was present and delivered a speech.[Photo/Xinhua]

The presidium of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) holds its first meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct 17, 2017. Xi Jinping was present and delivered a speech.[Photo/Xinhua]