BEIJING — China’s ruling Communist Party concluded its fifth plenum of the Central Committee on Thursday (Oct 29), adopting measures to tighten internal discipline and expelling 33 officials from its ranks, state media reported.
The Central Committee, comprising roughly 300 officials, approved a decision to advance full and rigorous governance of the party, including efforts to reduce corruption among cadres, according to Xinhua News Agency. The meeting, held over four days in Beijing, also saw the elevation of General Zhang Shengmin to the Politburo, the party’s top decision-making body.
Record Purges and Military Shakeup
The expulsions marked the largest purge of officials in a single plenum under President Xi Jinping’s leadership, with 16 of the 33 removed members coming from the military. The Central Military Commission, the party’s supreme military command, was nearly eviscerated, with five of seven members appointed in 2022 purged, leaving only Xi and Zhang Shengmin in office. The plenum also formally ratified the expulsion of former Politburo members Ma Xingrui and Zhang Youxia, bringing the total number of sitting Politburo members ousted during Xi’s current term to three—the highest since 1980.
New Leadership Appointments
General Zhang Shengmin, who oversees internal military discipline as deputy secretary of the Central Military Commission’s Discipline Inspection Commission, was elected to the Politburo. His promotion follows the purging of two top generals, leaving him as the only military representative in the Politburo. The party’s resolution emphasized the need to strengthen self-governance, discipline, and ideological purity, framing these measures as essential to maintaining long-term governance capacity.
Scale of Disciplinary Actions
The latest expulsions bring the total number of members removed under Xi’s third term to 51, up from 34 in his first term and five in his second. Separately, China’s top anti-corruption watchdog reported that 680,000 people across the party apparatus were disciplined in the first nine months of 2024. The Central Committee’s attendance fell below 300 for the first time in Xi’s 14-year leadership, with the current body starting its term in 2022 with more than 370 members.
Official Rationale and Long-Term Implications
The party stated in a communique that it had “squarely confronted the grim reality that party leadership had at times weakened or hollowed out” and vowed to “enforce strict party self-governance, including turning the knife inwards to curb disorder.” The resolution highlighted “increasingly arduous tasks”, including safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests. Analysts note that Xi’s anti-corruption campaign has expanded beyond graft to include ideological impurity and disloyalty, with warnings in January against “two-faced cadres” who profess loyalty while acting in self-interest.
Context: Xi’s Anti-Corruption Campaign
Since assuming power in 2012, Xi has sustained a decade-long crackdown on officials, framing corruption as a threat to the party’s survival. The latest measures follow a pattern of consolidating authority through internal purges, with the Central Committee’s reduced attendance and military reshuffle underscoring the campaign’s depth. The party’s emphasis on “progressive nature and purity” and “close ties with the people” suggests a broader effort to reinforce ideological control ahead of Xi’s expected fourth five-year term in 2027.