Xi Jinping's Party Expels 33 Senior Members at Plenum
The Communist Party confirmed the removals and promoted a key anti-corruption general, signaling a focus on discipline before next year's congress.
By Luca Harrison ·
China's ruling Communist Party removed 33 senior members during its fifth plenum, a move that sharpens Xi Jinping's anti-corruption drive as the party prepares for a major leadership transition. The meeting concluded on Thursday in Beijing, following a four-day session that began on Monday.
The attendance figures reveal the scale of the purge. Of the 376 full and alternate central committee members named in 2022, only 279 attended the plenum. That leaves 97 members absent, or more than a quarter of the total. Many of those missing are believed to be under investigation.
The expulsions include high-ranking figures from both the military and diplomatic services. Zhang Youxia, formerly the most senior military general in China, was among those dropped. Liu Jianchao, a senior diplomat who was previously tipped to become the next foreign minister, also lost his membership.
Neil Thomas, a senior fellow on Chinese politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute, noted that the military leadership ranks have been almost completely purged in the last three or four years. This cleanup continues to reshape the top echelons of the state's security apparatus.
One official emerged from the meeting with higher authority. General Zhang Shengmin, a key player in Xi's anti-corruption campaign, was promoted to the Politburo. The Politburo consists of more than 20 of the party's top officials. Thomas said this promotion reinforces the priority of anti-corruption work within the military.
Joseph Torigian, a professor of Chinese studies at American University in Washington D.C., described the meeting as a way for Xi to ensure everyone is on the same page before the next party congress. He said, "There's a lot of churn going on." This turbulence raises uncertainty about who will fill the ranks as a big succession approaches.
The party emphasized strengthening governance and discipline. Torigian explained that Xi is working to maintain the party's conviction by convincing members to put the Communist Party at the center of their lives rather than their own interests. This focus aims to prevent the regime from degrading or collapsing like other communist parties.
Zhang Fuhai, Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, provided specific figures on Friday. Since Xi came into power in late 2012, 7.9 million individuals have been punished. This total includes over 960 senior officials. Zhang stated that the fight against corruption remains serious and complicated, with eradicating the breeding ground for corruption as a formidable task.
