Red China's national party conference is off to a predictable start:

BEIJING, Oct. 15 — Delivering the opening address at the ruling Communist Party’s 17th National Congress today, President Hu Jintao promised to address social fissures, a degraded environment and rampant corruption during his second term as China’s top leader, but he all but ruled out more than cosmetic political reform.

Does this mean that there's no hope for reform in Beijing? Hardly. As Will Hutton noted yesterday, watch for Hu's appointments:

The other question is whether Hu will succeed in getting both 'Lis' into the politburo, the first step to the succession. Li Keqiang is party secretary of the important industrial province of Liaoning, a former secretary of the communist youth league and on the mildly reformist Hu side of the argument.

Li Yuanchao runs the equally significant province of Jiangsu, is younger and has a track record of being a genuinely innovative reformer, pushing democratic socialism to its limits in opening up the local media, promoting the rule of law and subjecting party cadres to public examination. He is deplored by the conservatives. The first Li getting on the politburo would be a goodish signal; both would be very strong.

Hu can't just come out in favor of reform - so watch the Li's. They might just get the right people into the right positions to effect just enough change, just far enough down the road, that the whole country doesn't tear itself apart.

Or, you know, not.