China is set to have a new generation of younger leaders. The Chinese Communist Party will announce a sweeping reshuffle at a plenary session of the Central Committee following the 16th Party Congress, which opened Friday for a weeklong session. The National People's Congress next spring will also choose new state and government leaders. If power shifts smoothly, it will be a good omen not only for China, but also for the rest of the world.

The current leadership under Mr. Jiang Zemin, the party secretary and president, forms the third generation following the first and second generations headed, respectively, by Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. The fourth generation is expected to be led by Mr. Hu Jintao, who is widely seen as Mr. Jiang's successor. A generational change will also take place at the Politburo's policymaking Standing Committee.

The quinquennial party congress, the first of this century, comes at a time of China's growing presence in a globalized economy. The fact remains, however, that the world's most populous nation of 1.3 billion people is still under the thumb of a one-party dictatorship. That is why an open and orderly leadership change is particularly important. The People's Republic of China has not seen a smooth succession process since it was established in 1949.