China plenum vows reforms, accepts Qin Gang resignation

SHANGHAI -- The Chinese Communist Party pledged on Thursday to better manage the market economy through reforms but offered no clear bombshells and few details, after a highly anticipated four-day leadership meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

The meeting, known as the third plenum, also accepted the resignation of former Foreign Minister Qin Gang and removed him from the party's Central Committee, without elaborating. Qin was abruptly fired from his ministerial post about a year ago.