China is being hit by a rebound in COVID-19 cases following the weeklong National Day holiday, just as the country¡¯s top leaders gather in Beijing for a meeting with President Xi Jinping.

The nation recorded 1,645 new COVID-19 infections on Saturday, the highest total since Sept. 2. While Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang had the biggest clusters, both Beijing and Shanghai found new cases outside of quarantine, suggesting the virus might be still spreading.

While the eight new cases reported in the capital on Saturday is relatively few, any rebound in infections would pose a headache for leaders. Some 3,000 delegates are gathering in the city to attend the twice-a-decade congress starting Oct. 16 that¡¯s expected to hand Xi a norm-breaking third term in power. A preparatory meeting of roughly 370 members and alternate members of the Central Committee was scheduled to begin Sunday.

Beijing has found 10 transmission chains across eight districts since the latest flareups started on Sept. 29, an official with the city¡¯s Center for Disease Prevention and Control said at a press briefing on Saturday afternoon.

A surge in COVID-19 cases nationwide would be embarrassing for Xi, who has maintained his zero tolerance strategy against the virus ¡ª accepting the social and economic cost of snap lockdowns and centralized quarantining ¡ª to avoid the death tolls seen in other parts of the world.

Sunday¡¯s conclave was expected to review the speech Xi will deliver at the start of the congress on Oct. 16, the most authoritative policy statement in the world¡¯s second-largest economy every five years. A draft amendment to the party constitution, which could see Xi¡¯s doctrine further elevated, will also be discussed, along with a report by the party¡¯s top anti-corruption body, according to state media.

Like most things in elite Chinese politics, the meeting will take place behind closed doors, likely concluding with a communique announcing that Xi¡¯s speech and the constitutional amendments have been submitted to the party congress.

The seventh plenum ¡ª as this gathering in China¡¯s five-year political cycle is called ¡ª will likely bring Xi another step closer to shattering leadership norms by staying in power beyond the party¡¯s de facto retirement age of 68 and two-term standard.

China¡¯s closest thing to a national election, the congress will see the ruling party install a new 25-member Politburo, from which the all-powerful, seven-seat Standing Committee will be selected. The weeklong event also provides a forum to vote on policies and revise the party¡¯s charter, although in reality most of those decisions have been made in advance.