THE Chinese Communist Party’s central committee is expected to vote this week to abandon the current ban on an incumbent serving “no more than two consecutive terms” as state president or vice president.

The central committee, which opens a three-day session in Beijing tomorrow, will consider a recommendation from its politburo subcommittee to remove that clause, which could allow current President Xi Jinping to extend his presidency beyond 2023.

The committee is also likely to back a politburo proposal that the constitution should incorporate “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.”

This would be added to the already existing reference to Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents and the Scientific Outlook on Development.

Xinhua news agency said that the central committee would meet to discuss a structural reform plan of the party and state institutions, the country's economic and social development, and proposed candidates for state leadership positions and for the leadership of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference national committee.

According to Xinhua, the politburo decided that the current structure of party and state institutions is not good enough to meet the requirements for various tasks in the "new era."

It said the party should resolve to tackle institutional obstacles to give full play to the advantages of China's socialist system.

The party leadership said that China would continue to adopt a proactive fiscal policy and a prudent monetary policy to fulfil its economic and social development goals for 2018.