How China's Five Year Plans have changed the world

Beijing's leaders are deciding on a blueprint that sets China's economic goals for the next decade.

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Every year or so, the country's highest political body, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, convenes for a week of meetings, also known as a Plenum.

What it decides at this one will eventually form the basis of China's next Five Year Plan - the blueprint that the world's second largest economy will follow between 2026 and 2030.

The full plan won't come until next year, but officials are likely to hint at its contents on Wednesday and have previously given more details within a week of that.

"Western policy works on election cycles, but Chinese policy making operates on planning cycles," says Neil Thomas, a fellow in Chinese politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute.