China’s Communist Party elite open key conclave

China's Communist Party elite kicked off a key meeting in Beijing yesterday, as the country's leadership faces pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, a protracted trade war, and a slowing economy. The Fourth Plenum of the Party's Central Committee is a closed-door meeting of high-ranking officials where the country's roadmap and future direction is discussed. According to official news agency Xinhua, President Xi Jinping yesterday delivered a work report on behalf of the Central Committee's Political Bureau, and "explained a draft document" of Central Committee decisions on "some major issues."