China's Xi Defends Unprecedented Purges as Fifth Plenum Closes
- Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping opened a four-day meeting of senior officials in Beijing on Oct. 26, following a wave of political purges that left the Central Military Commission with only two active members, including Xi and Gen. Zhang Shengmin.
- Across the People's Liberation Army, roughly 52% of senior leadership positions have been affected by recent investigations. The Center for Strategic and International Studies found 41 of 47 officers holding three-star rank since 2022 have been purged or potentially purged.
- The Asia Society Policy Institute estimates that approximately 291 of 376 Central Committee members may attend the current meeting, representing 77.4 percent of original membership and potentially the lowest attendance level in the post-Mao era.
- Xi introduced a draft decision during the plenum concerning "full and rigorous Party self-governance," a system integrating corruption investigations with political loyalty requirements to address officials who resist his orders.
- The fifth plenum precedes next year's Party Congress, where Xi is widely expected to seek another term as party leader. Analysts interpret recent remarks as a warning against political maneuvering and factional activity before the upcoming leadership transition.
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34 Articles
Displeased by spotty obedience, Xi Jinping continues culling party leaders
A record number of officials have been expelled from the Chinese Communist Party during the recent plenum. Among those removed were senior military officials and party secretaries, indicating a significant ongoing purge. Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign remains aggressive as he attempts to assert control over the party. The plenum's focus highlights the challenges Xi faces in maintaining party governance amidst internal dissent.
China’s Fifth Plenum: Can Beijing’s Discipline-Driven Development Model Shape Egypt’s Modernization?
The Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China concluded its work in Beijing after intensive meetings that lasted from October 26 to 29, 2026. This resulted in the adoption of a landmark document to strengthen the comprehensive and rigorous self-governance of the Communist Party of China (CPC) based […]
Fifth CPC plenum shows, in Xi Jinping’s China, no tiger is too big to fall
Chinese military modernisation and expansion is so far advanced that it requires greater political oversight over decision-making within the PLA so that political goals and the military means to achieve them are better aligned
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