China's Communist Party will signal approach to challenges at 4-day meeting

China's ruling Communist Party is starting a four-day meeting Monday that is expected to lay out a strategy for self-sufficient economic growth in an era of heightened national security concerns and restrictions on access to American technology.

While the meeting typically focuses on such long-term issues, business owners and investors will also be watching to see if the party announces any immediate measures to try to counter a prolonged real estate downturn and persistent malaise that has suppressed China's post-COVID-19 recovery.

There's a lot of unclarity of policy direction in China, which is weighing on consumer and investor confidence, said Bert Hofman, the former World Bank country director for China and a professor at the National University of Singapore. This is a point in time where China needs to show its cards.

Economic growth slowed to 4.7% on an annual basis in the April to June quarter, the government reported Monday.

The outcome of the meeting will send a message t