China’s Communist Party expelled 33 senior officials as Xi Jinping elevated a key military ally. With senior military commanders among those expelled, the latest crackdown has reinforced Xi’s drive to bring the party and armed forces under tighter control before the leadership reshuffle.

China’s President Xi Jinping is tightening his grip on the ruling Communist Party ahead of a crucial leadership transition, with Beijing expelling a record 33 senior officials in a sweeping purge that has reached the highest ranks of the military.

The purge, confirmed at a key party meeting that concluded on Thursday, comes as China prepares for its 2027 Communist Party Congress, where Xi, 73, is widely expected to seek an unprecedented fourth five-year term as party chief. With senior military commanders among those expelled, the latest crackdown has reinforced Xi’s drive to bring the party and armed forces under tighter control before the leadership reshuffle.

The 33 expelled officials included former senior military figures Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli. Sixteen of those removed were from the military, according to an official communique.

XI ELEVATES KEY ALLY AS MILITARY PURGE DEEPENS

The plenum also promoted General Zhang Shengmin to the Political Bureau, the Communist Party’s top decision-making body. Zhang has played a central role in the military’s anti-corruption drive and is considered a key ally in Xi’s efforts to tighten control over the armed forces.

Zhang was promoted to vice-chair of the Central Military Commission (CMC) last year. He previously served as the military’s anti-corruption chief from 2018 until July this year, overseeing efforts to root out alleged wrongdoing within the PLA.

The CMC, which is headed by Xi, oversees China’s armed forces. The latest purge has left the seven-member commission with only two members: Xi and Zhang.

The concentration of authority comes as the military faces sustained scrutiny over corruption among its senior ranks. The removal of top commanders has raised questions about the stability of the PLA’s leadership, even as Xi continues to demand political loyalty and tighter discipline.

Unlike recent party plenums that focused on economic reforms and efforts to arrest slowing growth, this meeting placed internal governance and political discipline at the centre of its agenda.

RECORD PURGE UNDER XI’S THIRD TERM

The latest expulsions bring the total number of Central Committee members removed during Xi’s third term to 51, compared with 35 during his first term and five during his second, according to the figures provided.

The crackdown extends well beyond the party’s top ranks. China’s anti-corruption watchdog reported that 680,000 people across the party apparatus were disciplined in the first nine months of this year.

In its official statement, the party acknowledged weaknesses in its internal governance, saying it had “squarely confronted the grim reality that party leadership had at times weakened or hollowed out”.

It pledged to continue enforcing strict party discipline, including “turning the knife inwards to… curb disorder”.

The party credited Xi’s campaign, launched after he took power in 2012, with reversing what it described as lax governance and eliminating serious risks within the party, state and military.

PLENUM ATTENDANCE FALLS TO HISTORIC LOW

The meeting was also marked by an unusually low turnout among Central Committee members, adding to the significance of a gathering dominated by discipline and personnel changes.

Only 162 of the committee’s 205 full members attended, representing approximately 79 per cent attendance. Another 117 alternate members were present, compared with 147 at last year’s meeting, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

The plenum was attended by 279 Central Committee members, the first time during Xi’s 14 years in power that attendance at such a meeting fell below 300.

The figures come amid a prolonged crackdown on senior officials, particularly within the armed forces. However, the available information does not establish why individual members were absent, and the attendance figures alone cannot be taken as evidence of dissent within the party.

Xi delivered a work report on behalf of the Political Bureau and outlined a draft resolution on strengthening full and rigorous party self-governance, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The plenum also confirmed an investigation into Liu Jianchao, the former head of the Communist Party’s International Department, and his removal from the Central Committee. Liu has not appeared in public since August last year and was replaced by Liu Haixing the following month.

With inputs from PTI