China Expels Record Number of Officials Amid Strict Party Discipline Focus

The Chinese Communist Party expelled a record 33 members during its annual political gathering, marking the first time in 14 years of leadership under Xi Jinping that plenum attendance fell below 300. The four-day closed-door meeting took place at a hotel in Beijing and concluded with a communique confirming the removals, which included 16 members from the military.

Attendance at the fifth plenum dropped to 279 Central Committee members. This figure contrasts with the 315 attendees at the fourth plenum in October 2025 and 364 participants at the third plenum in July 2024. The original cohort named in 2022 totaled 376 members, leaving more than 25 percent absent. Confirmed expulsions featured high-ranking figures such as former military second-in-command Zhang Youxia and former Xinjiang party secretary Ma Xingrui, while other absences remained unexplained.

While recent plenums concentrated on economic reforms and social development, party discipline dominated the latest agenda. Since taking power in 2012, Xi has characterized corruption as the primary threat to the party. Zhang Fuhai, representing the party's disciplinary commission, reported during a Friday press briefing that more than two million individuals have faced discipline for infractions related to bureaucratism, hedonism, extravagance, and pointless formalities since 2012. Additionally, the top anti-corruption watchdog recorded 680,000 disciplined individuals across the party apparatus in the first nine months of the current year.

The latest measures elevate the total number of members removed during Xi's third term to a record 51, compared to 35 removals in his second term and five during his first. The party stated that it confronted the reality of weakened leadership and pledged to enforce strict self-governance and curb disorder. Specific charges for the expelled members were broadly described as serious disciplinary and legal violations.

Analyst perspectives highlighted the broader implications of the ongoing campaign. Chong Ja Ian, a non-resident scholar with Carnegie China, stated that the purges function to maintain authority, indicating that the campaign expands based on Xi's sense of security rather than strictly addressing corruption. Similarly, Neil Thomas, a senior fellow at the Asia Society thinktank, noted on social media that the vacant seats emphasize Xi's vision for internal discipline.

The gathering also impacted the Central Military Commission of the People's Liberation Army, leaving only two active members: Xi and anti-graft tsar Zhang Shengmin, who was elevated to the politburo. Furthermore, the event initiated preparations for the 21st Party Congress scheduled for the second half of 2027, where Xi is anticipated to seek a fourth term.