Later today, China's ruling Communist Party is due to open its five-yearly congress during which a set of new national leaders will be announced. The week-long Congress preparatory meeting held earlier this week passed the appointment of Xi Jinping as secretary general of the Congress. He is also expected to take over from China's president Hu jintao in March next year when Hu steps down. RFI spoke to a Danish former diplomat to Beijing to discuss how China has changed in the past ten years under Hu, and what challenges lie ahead for his successor.