China expelled a record 33 officials from its ruling Communist Party as a major political conference concluded in Beijing this week, leaving an unprecedented wave of vacant seats across the nation’s highest leadership bodies, The Guardian reported.
The removals unfolded during the party’s fifth plenum, a closed-door gathering dedicated to party governance. Only 279 of the 376 full and alternate Central Committee members chosen in 2022 attended the session, according to The Guardian. The absence of more than 25 percent of the cohort marks the highest proportion of unoccupied chairs at a plenum in modern Chinese history.
Purges Hollow Out the Military Hierarchy
Among those confirmed expelled were Zhang Youxia, formerly the second-highest official beneath Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the military chain of command, and Ma Xingrui, the former party chief of Xinjiang, The Guardian reported. In April, authorities disclosed an inquiry into Ma after he had vanished from public view for five months, according to CNN.
The anti-corruption drive has also severely reduced the leadership of China’s armed forces. The Central Military Commission, the executive authority running the People’s Liberation Army that typically features seven members, has been stripped down to just two: Xi and military anti-corruption chief Zhang Shengmin, The Guardian reported. Zhang was elevated to the Communist Party’s Politburo this week, becoming its sole military representative. The Politburo itself has contracted from 24 members down to 21, CNN reported.
The disciplinary push has produced severe penalties for high-profile figures. In May, former defense ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu received suspended death sentences with two-year reprieves following bribery convictions, according to CNN.
Expanding Dragnet Reaches Economic Officials
The campaign has targeted government and economic leaders in recent weeks as well. Xia Linmao, a deputy mayor of Beijing, disappeared shortly after participating in a public meeting with Walmart Chief Executive John Furner and other American business leaders, CNN reported. Investigators from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection also launched an inquiry into Huang Qifan, the former mayor of Chongqing known for his extensive commentary on the Chinese economy.
Official records cited by CNN show disciplinary authorities investigated, convicted, dismissed and expelled more than 500 ministerial-level officials between 2012 and 2022. The campaign has accelerated sharply since, ensnaring more than 410 officials in the past three years alone.
Xi, who has warned party members against disloyalty and urged the uprooting of “sick trees,” previously termed the anti-graft drive a “never-ending journey,” according to The Guardian. While the Chinese leader describes the effort as necessary discipline, outside analysts cited by The Guardian have raised questions about whether it serves to eliminate political opponents.
Uncertainty Ahead of Party Congress
The plenum concluded as the Communist Party prepares for its 21st Party Congress, scheduled for late 2027. Xi is widely projected to secure an unprecedented fourth term as party general secretary during that summit, The Guardian reported.
What remains uncertain is how the leadership will replenish its thinned ranks. While the Central Committee and Politburo are scheduled to be reconstituted next year, analysts noted that the wide scope of recent removals has left an unusually depleted pool of senior officials eligible for advancement.
