Beijing party meeting confirms 33 expulsions as Xi Jinping tightens grip

China's ruling Communist Party finished its fifth plenum on Thursday after a four-day session that confirmed the expulsion of 33 senior officials.

The meeting, which began Monday, served as the annual gathering for the central committee to review policy and personnel. Of the 376 full and alternate members originally named in 2022, only 279 showed up. That absence rate puts more than a quarter of the committee out of the room, and many of those missing are believed to be under active investigation.

The timeline of recent purges shows a steady decline in military leadership stability. Neil Thomas, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, noted that the military ranks have been almost completely purged in the last three or four years. The list of those expelled includes Zhang Youxia, formerly the most senior military general, and Liu Jianchao, a diplomat previously tipped to become foreign minister.

General Zhang Shengmin, however, rose in rank during the session. He was promoted to the Politburo, the group of more than 20 top party officials. Thomas said this move reinforces the priority of anti-corruption work within the military. Joseph Torigian, a professor of Chinese studies at American University, described the situation as a lot of churn that raises questions about who will fill the ranks during the succession process at next year's party congress.

The plenum focused heavily on strengthening party governance and instilling discipline. Torigian explained that Xi Jinping is trying to maintain the party's conviction across generations by convincing members to place the Communist Party at the center of their lives rather than their own interests. This effort aims to keep the regime pure and prevent it from degrading or collapsing like other communist parties in different countries.

Zhang Fuhai, Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, told reporters on Friday that 7.9 million individuals have been punished since Xi came into power in late 2012. That number includes over 960 senior officials. Zhang said the fight against corruption remains serious, complicated, and a formidable task. He also mentioned that more regular reporting from discipline inspectors to central authorities will add scrutiny on local officials.

Xi has complained about excessive formalities and bureaucracy, which Torigian described as going through the motions and holding many meetings without achieving results. Thomas warned that local officials might play it safe to avoid attention, leading to inertia and less experimentation. This could have the opposite effect of what Xi intended. Full decisions from the meeting are expected to be published in the coming days.