China's top party meeting sees record number of officials expelled

The Chinese Communist Party expelled a record number of senior leaders during a meeting held this week in Beijing.

The gathering served as the party's fifth plenum since the current leadership group was established in 2022. It also set the date for the 21st Party Congress for the second half of 2027. This timing begins the process for a top leadership reshuffle that occurs every two decades. President Xi Jinping is expected to extend his term for another five years at that event.

The meeting had the highest absence rate in the post-Mao era. According to a summary from the Xinhua news agency, 279 full and alternate members attended. That number is down from the 376 originally named in 2022. This absence rate stands at 25.8 percent. Many of the missing members were removed through anti-corruption purges.

The party described itself as stronger than ever in its official release. It called its achievements worthy of being recorded in the history books of Marxist political parties. Kerry Brown, director of King's College London's Lau China Institute, noted that the primary message for both domestic and external audiences is unity. He stated that the United States is emerging from midterms with likely further division. Brown said the party wants to convey that it is united, disciplined, and different from the US.

Xi Jinping warned his leadership in 2012 that unchecked corruption would lead to the total collapse of the party and the state. He launched a sweeping crackdown with an intensity not seen since the Mao era. The campaign has ensnared millions in the bureaucracy and purged hundreds of top officials. These included former allies and figures once considered untouchable. Xi urged the party and the military to turn the blade inward and eradicate viruses that corrode their health.

The communique issued on Thursday argued that Xi's authority allowed the party to curb misconduct and resolve institutional failings. It claimed the party became stronger through revolutionary tempering. The Central Military Commission has lost five of the seven members appointed in 2022. Only Xi and vice-chair Zhang Shengmin remain in office. Zhang, a discipline enforcer, was unexpectedly elevated to the elite Politburo this week.

The plenum ratified the expulsion of 33 officials. This group included former Politburo members Ma Xingrui and Zhang Youxia. Their ousters bring the number of sitting Politburo members removed during the current term to three. That is the highest number since 1980. Former senior diplomat Liu Jianchao and former industry minister Jin Zhuanglong were also removed.

Ruby Osman, a senior policy adviser at London's Tony Blair Institute, said Xi is willing to tolerate short-term disruption. She described this as an investment in long-term resilience. Osman noted the goal is to build a disciplined system that can sustain political priorities across leadership cycles. Joseph Torigian, an expert at American University, said the party must continuously fight challenges that never go away. He added that officials remain vulnerable to external influences and need constant reminders of their mission.

State media have not suggested a loosening of Xi's grip on power. Commentaries in People's Daily and Xinhua have urged the nation to unite tighter around Xi. They positioned his authority as the guarantee of stability and policy continuity. Brown said the party is undergoing a generational overhaul. He identified the key unknown as whether the old guard around Xi will allow younger leaders to assume greater power. The plenum communique called for improving the training and selection of outstanding young cadres.