China's top leaders are set for a reshuffle. Here are the names to watch

cnbc.com:

BEIJING — China is poised to reshuffle the top officials surrounding President Xi Jinping at a highly anticipated congress meeting this month.

The ruling Communist Party of China is expected to kick off its 20th National Congress — held once every five years — on Oct. 16.

About a week later, the names of the new team are due to be announced.

The composition of the team will reflect the political sway Xi and his associates have, and how much support the president wields for ideas — such as preferences for greater state control in the economy.

Xi, who is 69, is widely expected to further consolidate his power after being head of the party for 10 years. This month's congress is expected to pave the way for him to stay on for an unprecedented third five-year term.

But forecasts for which officials will step down or take on new roles remain speculative.

«Chinese politics have always been opaque, but it seems as if absolutely no light whatsoever is escaping from this black box,» said Scott Kennedy, senior advisor and trustee chair in Chinese business and economics at the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

«Hence, one hears much less speculation now compared to previous leadership transitions,» he said.

«The irony of this mystery is that Chinese officials regularly lecture foreigners about how little they understand China,» Kennedy said. «Part of the problem is how little information is actually made available to us.»

Here's what's publicly known — and some of the names that analysts are watching in the upcoming reshuffle:

This month's congress decides which officials will become leaders of the ruling Communist Party of China.

About 2,300 party delegates are set to gather in Beijing to select a new