Beijing Plenum: 33 Senior Party Members Expelled in Anti-Corruption Push

China's ruling Communist Party expelled 33 senior members during the fifth plenum, a decision announced in Beijing this week. The meeting, which began on Monday and concluded on Thursday, marked the end of the party's most important annual gathering. The expulsion list included Zhang Youxia, formerly the country's most senior military general, and Liu Jianchao, a diplomat previously considered a candidate for foreign minister.

Attendance at the session was markedly lower than in previous years. Of the 376 full and alternate central committee members originally named in 2022, only 279 were present. This absence of more than a quarter of the committee members has led analysts to believe many are currently under investigation. Joseph Torigian, a professor of Chinese studies at American University, noted that the low attendance and expulsions serve as a signal for the upcoming party congress.

Xi Jinping is expected to seek a fourth term in office next year. Torigian stated that the current leadership is ensuring internal alignment before that vote. He described the situation as Xi setting up for the next congress by making sure everyone is on the same page. Neil Thomas, a senior fellow on Chinese politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute, added that the focus on discipline indicates how much work the leadership believes is still needed to create a more effective governing institution.

The plenum also resulted in the promotion of General Zhang Shengmin to the Politburo. The Politburo consists of more than 20 of the party's top officials. Zhang Shengmin has been a central figure in the anti-corruption campaign within the military. Thomas said this promotion reinforces the priority placed on cleaning up the military ranks. He noted that the military leadership has been almost completely purged in the last three or four years.

Zhang Fuhai, Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, provided specific numbers on the campaign's reach in a statement to reporters on Friday. Since the campaign began in late 2012, 7.9 million individuals have been punished. This total includes over 960 senior officials. Zhang Fuhai described the fight against corruption as serious and complicated, calling the eradication of its breeding ground a formidable task.

The meeting also addressed the issue of bureaucratic formalities. Xi Jinping has criticized excessive procedures, which Torigian said is party language for going through motions without achieving results. To increase scrutiny, discipline inspectors will report to central authorities more regularly. However, Thomas warned that local officials may act cautiously to avoid attention, potentially leading to more inertia and less experimentation. This could produce the opposite effect of what the leadership intended.

Analysts do not expect the party to name a successor for Xi Jinping at the next congress. Torigian said few watchers believe a decision will be made now, and nobody knows exactly what will happen when Xi is ready to step down. The full decisions and deliverables from the plenum are expected to be published in the coming days.