China expels record 33 officials as Xi stresses discipline

China's Communist Party ended its four-day Fifth Plenum on Thursday, October 29, by ratifying the expulsion of 33 officials. That is the largest number ever expelled at one plenum, and 16 of them came from the military, BBC reported. The communique, released by state news agency Xinhua, named former Politburo member Ma Xingrui, former Central Military Commission vice chairman Zhang Youxia, former military official Liu Zhenli, former senior diplomat Liu Jianchao, former industry minister Jin Zhuanglong and former securities regulator chief Yi Huiman, Reuters reported.bbc.co.uk+1

The closed-door meeting in Beijing also had the most empty seats in the party's modern history. It adopted a resolution on strict party governance and set the 21st Party Congress for the second half of 2027. Xi Jinping is widely expected to win a fourth term as party leader at that congress, according to Reuters.reuters.com

Empty Seats and a Hollowed-Out Military Command

Only 279 full and alternate Central Committee members attended, out of 376 named in 2022. That means more than a quarter of the original group was absent, the highest rate of the post-Mao era, Reuters found. Attendance was 315 at the fourth plenum in October 2025 and 364 at the third plenum in July 2024, BBC reporting showed. The latest expulsions bring the number of members removed during Xi's third term to 51, compared with 35 in his first term and five in his second.graphic.com.gh+1

The purges have nearly emptied the Central Military Commission. Of the seven members appointed in 2022, only Xi and vice chairman Zhang Shengmin remain. The plenum unexpectedly elevated Zhang Shengmin, whom Reuters described as a discipline enforcer rather than an operational commander, to the Politburo. Other expelled military figures included former Eastern Theater Command political commissar Liu Qingsong and former Northern Theater Command commander Huang Ming, The Herald Business reported.reuters.com+1

A Mandate for Strict Governance

The plenum's resolution calls on the party to "remain unswerving in its commitment to a rigorous tone" and to improve its system of strict self-governance, the Associated Press reported. The party also admitted "the harsh reality that party leadership has, at times, weakened or been undermined," according to BBC. It pledged to keep up a "tough, protracted and all-out battle" against corruption, Reuters reported.abcnews.com+2

Analysts disagree about what the campaign is for. Chong Ja Ian of Carnegie China told the BBC that it has become "an effort to consolidate and maintain authority." Ruby Osman of the Tony Blair Institute said it is "less about purging elite rivals, more about building a disciplined system that can sustain Xi's political priorities across leadership cycles," Reuters reported.reuters.com+1

Kerry Brown of King's College London said the party "is clearly going through a generational overhaul." But "the greatest unknown," he said, "is to what extent the old guard around Xi will be willing, and able, to let younger leaders assume greater power."