World

Xi Intensifies Anti-Corruption Drive, 33 Party Members Expelled at Fifth Plenum

By Today News Hours Editorial Desk

A record 33 members of China’s Communist Party were expelled following the conclusion of the fifth Central Committee plenum, the largest number of expulsions in a single session since the party’s founding. The gathering, held in a Beijing hotel for four closed‑door days, drew 279 Central Committee members, down from 315 at the fourth plenum in October 2025 and 364 at the third in July 2024. The plenum’s theme was party discipline, with President Xi Jinping emphasizing the fight against corruption as the “biggest threat” to the party. Xi has led a broad anti‑corruption campaign since 2012, during which more than two million party members have been disciplined for violations such as “pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance,” according to Zhang Fuhai of the party’s disciplinary commission. The commission said it would strengthen efforts to ensure officials “dare not, cannot, and do not want to be corrupt.” Sixteen of the expelled members were from the military. Specific charges were not disclosed beyond “serious disciplinary and legal violations,” a common phrasing in Xi’s campaign. The expulsions bring the total number of members removed under Xi’s third term to 51, up from 35 in his second term and five in his first. In the first nine months of the year, the party’s anti‑corruption watchdog reported that 680,000 party personnel had been disciplined. Among those expelled were former Xinjiang party chief Ma Xingrui, ex‑top generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, and former diplomat Liu Jianchao. The removal of high‑ranking military officials has raised concerns about organisational leadership and combat readiness. The Central Military Commission, which controls the armed forces, now has only two members: Xi as chairman and Zhang Shengmin as vice‑chairman. The Politburo, once 24 members strong, was temporarily reduced to 21 after the expulsions, before Zhang Shengmin’s promotion at the fifth plenum brought the number to 22. Analysts say the intensified focus on discipline may be linked to the upcoming 21st Party Congress in 2027, when the CCP will elect its next leader. Xi is expected to maintain his position for a fourth term, a tenure unprecedented since Mao Zedong. The purges are viewed as a means to consolidate Xi’s authority and shape the party’s leadership for the future.