China’s Communist party expelled a record 33 members at its fifth plenum this week, as widening purges under Xi Jinping left an unprecedented number of places unfilled at the gathering. The meeting of senior officials, held roughly once a year, focused on party governance amid an intensified campaign against corruption and breaches of discipline.
Attendance highlighted how much the party’s leadership ranks have changed since 2022. Of the 376 full and alternate Central Committee members originally appointed that year, 279 attended the plenum. More than a quarter of the original membership was therefore absent, many because of purges. The number of empty seats was the largest recorded at a plenum in modern Chinese history, although some absences remained unexplained.
Among those whose expulsions were confirmed were Zhang Youxia, formerly second to Xi in the military hierarchy, and Ma Xingrui, the former party secretary for Xinjiang. Writing on X, Neil Thomas, a senior fellow at the Asia Society thinktank, said the empty seats highlighted the meeting’s emphasis on Xi’s demand for strict discipline within the party.
Combating corruption has been a central priority for Xi since he took power in 2012. In recent years, however, the campaign has increasingly reached the upper levels of both the party and the armed forces. Its expanding scope has raised questions about whether it also serves to eliminate political rivals or penalise disloyalty. Xi appears increasingly frustrated by what he regards as inadequate discipline within the party, which exercises absolute authority over China’s state and society.
Earlier this year, Xi called for the removal of “sick trees” from the party and described the struggle against corruption as a “never-ending journey”. Repeated purges have reduced the seven-member Central Military Commission, which governs the People’s Liberation Army, to just two members: Xi and Zhang Shengmin, the military’s anti-corruption chief. Zhang was elevated this week to the politburo, the party’s highest ruling body, where he is now the sole military representative.
The plenum also prepared the ground for the 21st Party congress, the five-yearly gathering expected in the second half of 2027. Xi is expected to obtain a fourth term as party leader, which would make him Communist China’s longest-serving ruler since Mao Zedong.
Next year’s congress will renew the membership of the Central Committee and politburo. But many analysts believe the recent purges have removed so many officials that few suitable candidates remain available for promotion.
