At the first monthly meeting of the new year, the Politburo was still unable to agree on a date for the important Third Plenum of the Central Committee, which will set the course for economic policy over the next five years. This means that the economic course for 2024 has still not been set. According to the traditional timetable of the CP apparatus, the plenum should have been held in October 2023. Now, however, it could even be postponed until after the National People’s Congress in March. This is significant because the People’s Congress sets the economic policy for the current year, including the growth target. And it is usually based on the resolutions of the Third Plenum.