How Xi Jinping’s sweeping military purge echoed at a top Chinese leaders’ meeting
Chinese President Xi Jinping is conducting a massive anti-corruption purge within the Communist Party and the People's Liberation Army. Recent meetings indicate that over 55% of the PLA's top leadership has been removed to consolidate power and ensure party loyalty.
Why it matters
The scale of these purges suggests significant internal instability or a major shift in the power structure of the world's second-largest military.
At the conclusion of a four-day closed-door meeting of senior Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders on Thursday (October 29), it was difficult to miss the main messaging that emerged — “full and rigorous party self-governance”. Underneath the jargon commonly spotted in official communiques was the goal that CCP general secretary and Chinese President Xi Jinping has pursued over nearly 15 years in power: ridding the Party of corruption. Of late, however, it has taken the shape of major leaders being removed across key bodies, including military ones. The recent meeting, known as the Fifth Plenum, saw a record number of members expelled. It also saw the elevation of General Zhang Shengmin into the Politburo, which is a 24-member body of top party leaders.
Also covering this story
One other newsroom covered this event. We read that version too.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in