China’s Leaders Offer High Hopes, but Few Details for Road to Recovery

Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, called officials together this week to hammer out ideas to pull the country’s economy out of its doldrums. But if the official summary of the meeting is a guide, Mr. Xi believes he already has many of the answers.

His message to the 363 other officials who gathered in Beijing seemed to be: stick with his state-led, tech-focused strategy, only do it better. That is, make it cleaner, more fair and keep a careful eye on national security.

Some critics fault Mr. Xi’s heavy-handed ways for China’s economic stumbles, but the official summary of the four-day meeting, known as the Third Plenum of the Central Committee, focused on the hazards of a turbulent world, and the opportunities of innovation.

China faces “a new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation,” said the summary, released by official media on Thursday.

Investors in China, dispirited by the country’s economic troubles, have been waiting for promising signals, but the post-meeting statement gave only a broad description of any plans, clad in Communist Party slogans.

More specific proposals may be made public in the coming days, if past sessions are a guide. Here’s how to read the official communiqué and what to look for as more details emerge.