China Elevates Military General to Politburo and Expels Dozens

Chinese Communist Party leaders on Thursday elevated a top military general to the Politburo and confirmed the expulsion of 33 members following a four-day closed-door meeting in Beijing.

The party elected Gen. Zhang Shengmin to the top governing body, leaving him as the sole military representative alongside President Xi Jinping on the powerful Central Military Commission.

The meeting also formalized the ouster of 33 figures, including former senior military figure Zhang Youxia and former Xinjiang official Ma Xingrui, amid an ongoing crackdown on corruption.

The decisions come about a year before Mr. Xi is widely expected to secure a fourth five-year term as the nation's leader.

Senior officials defended the sweeping personnel changes and ongoing disciplinary measures during a press briefing on Friday.

"It was unanimously agreed that the Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core demonstrated tremendous political courage and a strong sense of responsibility," stated a communiqué released Thursday.

Zhang Fuhai, deputy secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, spoke to reporters about the scope of the internal security campaign.

"We would rather offend thousands than let down 1.4 billion people," said Zhang Fuhai, the deputy secretary.

He also stated that discipline inspection organs have punished 7.9 million people across the country since 2012.

Analysts noted that the plenum revealed wider-than-expected purges that left the Central Committee with 279 remaining members out of 376.

Neil Thomas, a senior fellow who studies Chinese politics, calculated an attendance rate of 74 percent, according to NPR and the Manila Bulletin.

The Global and Mail reported it as one of the biggest and highest-level purges in the recent history of the party.

Party leaders adopted a resolution focused on self-governance, discipline, and anti-corruption to counter what the communiqué described as formidable challenges.

Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute, said the party is going through a generational overhaul without a clear succession plan.

The party has not indicated who might eventually replace Mr. Xi or other members of the current seven-person Standing Committee.