• “The outlook is extremely bright;the challenges are also extremely grim.”

That was President Xi Jinping as he opened the first Communist Party congress since he assumed power five years ago. He is expected to enshrine his authoritarian vision, which he sees as a guarantee for the party’s survival.

Analysts will be looking for signs about who is primed to join Mr. Xi’s inner circle, and, as one said, of how far he “can and will go in reshaping the norms of Chinese politics to get his way.”