Consensus

"China's reforms are not impeccable. Some people turn nostalgic or even wish for a stop to reforms. But at this moment, refusing to reforms will only put China on the path to a dead end. Stagnation and going backwards in reforms are no way out," Xin said.

Many people have been upset or perplexed by the country's social ills, such as inferior food, yawning wealth gap, environmental woes, corruption, and inequitable access to education, health care and social security.

Egalitarianism, previously lambasted as the culprit that stifled China's national vitality under the planned economy, no longer seems good-for-nothing.

"Apart from the bewilderment, another major hindrance relates to the disparity of opinions on the urgency of deepening reforms," said Liu Jingbei, research department director of the China Executive Leadership Academy-Pudong in Shanghai.

To those who vacillate, the Party has clarified in a keynote report to the Party congress that the upcoming reforms will emphasize comprehensive and coordinated economic, political, social, cultural and ecological development.

China watcher Robert Kuhn said that five key issues are faced by China's new leaders: economic restructuring, improvement of people's livelihoods and social security, innovation, political participation, beliefs and value systems.

All these challenges require the Party to take action, he said.