China’s ruling Communist Party removed 33 officials from its elite ranks as a four-day closed-door leadership session ended Thursday in Beijing, marking an unprecedented wave of expulsions that underscores Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s unyielding consolidation of control.
Sixteen of the 33 expelled members were drawn from the military, according to an official communique issued at the conclusion of the plenum, the BBC reported. The latest actions bring the total number of Central Committee members ousted during Xi’s third term to 51, surpassing the 35 removed during his first five-year term and five in his second.
Depleted Leadership Ranks
The sweeping expulsions left visible gaps in the highest corridors of Chinese governance. Attendance at the plenum fell below 300 for the first time throughout Xi’s 14 years at the helm, the BBC reported. The Central Committee initially convened in 2022 with more than 370 members.
The purges have cut deeply into elite decision-making bodies, CNN reported. The party’s Central Military Commission, typically composed of seven members, has dwindled to only two, including Xi himself. Meanwhile, the Politburo has shrunk from 24 members to 21.
Party statements cited broad allegations of “serious disciplinary and legal violations,” a standard term in the crackdown. The party leadership said in its communique that it “squarely confronted the grim reality that party leadership had at times weakened or hollowed out,” pledging to continue self-governance by “turning the knife inwards to… curb disorder.”
Expanding Dragnet Across China
Beyond the Central Committee, China’s anti-graft apparatus has accelerated investigations across all levels of government. According to the party’s top anti-corruption watchdog, roughly 680,000 individuals across the party framework faced disciplinary action during the first nine months of the year, the BBC reported.
High-profile figures have vanished abruptly from public duties before facing formal announcements, CNN reported. Beijing Deputy Mayor Xia Linmao was swept into the inquiry just days after meeting with American business executives. Other targets have included Huang Qifan, a former mayor of Chongqing, and Ma Xingrui, a former Xinjiang party chief whose investigation was disclosed months after he disappeared from public sight.
Penalties have also escalated in severity. In May, former defense ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu received suspended death sentences with two-year reprieves following bribery convictions, according to CNN.
Consolidation Ahead of Key Congress
Xi has consistently warned against what he termed “two-faced cadres” who feign personal loyalty while pursuing their own interests, portraying the anti-graft crusade as an ongoing campaign.
Outside analysts argue the measures serve primarily to eliminate potential resistance ahead of next year’s party congress, where Xi is widely anticipated to pursue a fourth term. Chong Ja Ian, a non-resident scholar with Carnegie China, told the BBC that the operation has transformed into “an effort to consolidate and maintain authority,” adding that the initiative would develop based on “how secure Xi feels rather than any real issue with corruption.”
The extensive removal of veteran leaders has reshaped career paths for up-and-coming cadres, leaving younger officials without traditional patrons. Deng Yuwen, a former deputy editor of the Study Times, told CNN that Xi holds sufficient standing to shape rising subordinates into loyalists directly.
It remains unclear how many further vacancies in China’s top ruling bodies will be formally filled in the months ahead or how widely the disciplinary net will expand before next year’s leadership congress.
