Politics
China Elevates Military General and Confirms Major Party Purges
Chinese leaders signal absolute control and extend anti-corruption campaigns as President Xi Jinping approaches a fourth term.
By Headlinne · Compiled from reporting by NPR, Globe and Mail, Manila Bulletin and 1 other
Chinese Communist Party leaders elevated a top military general to the Politburo and confirmed the expulsion of 33 members on Thursday in Beijing, tightening President Xi Jinping's grip on power.
The decisions concluded a four-day closed-door plenary session of the Central Committee.
General Zhang Shengmin, currently serving as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission and internal discipline overseer, joined the top governing body.
The promotion leaves Zhang as the sole remaining military representative alongside Xi on the commission after previous high-level purges.
Authorities also formally confirmed the removal of 33 committee members, including former Politburo member Zhang Youxia and former Xinjiang official Ma Xingrui.
The meeting adopted a resolution focused on strict self-governance, party discipline and the eradication of corruption across political and military ranks.
The gathering precedes a party congress expected next year where Xi is widely anticipated to secure an unprecedented fourth five-year term as leader.
Officials defended the long-running disciplinary campaign as a vital defense against institutional decline.
“We would rather offend thousands than let down 1.4 billion people,” said Zhang Fuhai, deputy secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, at a news briefing on Friday.
The Central Committee demonstrated political courage in confronting weak leadership and ineffective self-supervision, according to an official communiqué.
The broad anti-graft drive has punished 7.9 million people since 2012, according to anti-corruption agency figures released Friday.
Analysts said the massive turnover reflected deeper internal conflicts within the ruling party.
“The anti-corruption push should no longer be treated as a campaign,” said Mingda Qiu, a senior analyst for the Eurasia Group.
“It is here to stay,” Qiu added.
External researchers calculated that meeting attendance dropped to 74 percent, reflecting the scale of recent personnel removals.
Other observers noted that the relentless consolidation of authority leaves no clear succession path visible among top officials.
Leadership faces unresolved questions regarding generational overhaul and the long-term stability of ruling arrangements.
Reporting from
- NPR NewsBalanced
China elevates a military general to the Politburo and seeks to strengthen party discipline
- The Globe and Mail
Aging Xi tightens grip on China’s ruling Communist Party
- Manila BulletinBalanced
China elevates a military general to the Politburo and seeks to strengthen party discipline
- The HinduBalanced
China ruling party says 'eliminated dangers' after 33 expelled
How this article was made: Headlinne wrote it with AI from the 4 reports listed above. Direct quotes are checked word for word against those reports, every number appears in at least one of them, and no other sentence is copied from one. Photos are from those reports and credited to them. Each report’s page on Headlinne links to the outlet’s original.