China expels record 33 party members, elevates military loyalist

China's Communist Party concluded its Fifth Plenum on October 29, expelling a record 33 members—16 of them military officers—in what party officials framed as enforcement of discipline and anti-corruption measures. The gathering, held in Beijing from October 26–29, saw only 279 of the original 376 Central Committee members attend, the lowest plenum participation in modern Chinese history and reflecting the scale of removals under Xi Jinping's leadership since 2012.

The expelled officials included high-ranking figures: former Xinjiang party secretary Ma Xingrui, former Central Military Commission vice-chairman Zhang Youxia, general Liu Zhenli, and diplomat Liu Jianchao. Official statements cited "serious disciplinary and legal violations" without detailing specific charges. The purges have drawn scrutiny from analysts, who note that Xi's anti-corruption campaign—described as targeting corruption, perceived disloyalty, ideological misalignment, and factional networks—has expanded significantly since 2023. Under Xi's third term alone, 51 members have been expelled, compared to 35 in his first term and five in his second. Nationwide, 680,000 party members were disciplined in the first nine months of 2026.

The plenum elevated Zhang Shengmin, the military's former anti-graft chief and current Central Military Commission vice-chairman, to the Politburo—making him the sole active military member in the party's top 22-person decision-making body. This appointment marked the first Politburo promotion during a plenum rather than at a National Party Congress in 32 years. The Central Military Commission has been reduced to just two members: Xi Jinping as chairman and Zhang Shengmin as vice-chairman, after multiple purges gutted the previously seven-member body.

Party statements emphasized the need to "enforce strict party self-governance" and reverse what the CCP described as weakened leadership and lax governance. State media framed the purges as reinforcing party discipline and loyalty ahead of the 21st National Party Congress, expected in the second half of 2027, where Xi is anticipated to secure a fourth term—making him the longest-serving Communist leader since Mao Zedong.

Analysts have noted that the simultaneous gutting of military leadership raises questions about organizational readiness, even as China continues weapons development. The Institute for the Study of War assessed that Xi's distrust of military and party structures, reflected in the purges, reduces the likelihood of major military operations in the near term, as senior officer ranks remain depleted and replenishment incomplete.