China’s ruling party has reviewed its work of the past five years and passed an amendment to its constitution during a four-day meeting among its current Central Committee members, just a few days before its once-a-decade leadership change.

In the work report addressed by Hu Jintao, the party’s general secretary as well as China’s president, the past five years are believed to be “extraordinary” with China having overcome difficulties in reform and development and made progress in all aspects, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The meeting, known as the Seventh Plenary Session of the 17th Central Committee of the party, held from November 1 to 4 in Beijing.

The meeting, at which 200 members and 165 alternate members of the committee attended, also discussed and approved a report to be made by the 17th Central Committee to the 18th Party Congress beginning next Thursday, as well as an amendment to the Constitution, Xinhua said. Details of the amendment have yet to be released.

The decisions that Chinese disgraced politician Bo Xilai and former Railways Minister Liu Zhijun were expelled from the party were endorsed in the meeting. Two new vice presidents of the Military Commission of the committee were nominated.

The party is going to see a once-a-decade political leadership transition, as its 18th National Congress will open on November 8. A new Central Committee and a new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the party will be elected during the congress. Normally it will last for a week, although its specific procedure has not been revealed yet.

China has become the world’s second largest economy since 2010, with its rapid growth lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and boosting the world economy. The country is also engaged in tense territorial disputes with Japan and other Asian neighbors and is often at odds with the U.S. and other established powers over issues as diverse as Syria's civil war and climate change.