China expels 33 members, including generals, in anti-graft drive

Key facts

• The Communist Party expelled 33 members, including 16 from the military, for "serious disciplinary and legal violations."
• The expulsions were confirmed in a communique released on Thursday at the close of the fifth plenum of the 20th Central Committee.
• The anti-corruption campaign has reached high echelons of the ruling Communist Party and has ensnared top generals and executives in key defense companies.

China's President Xi Jinping has intensified his sweeping anti-corruption campaign, with the Communist Party expelling 33 members, including senior military officers and prominent political figures. The expulsions were confirmed in a communique issued on Thursday at the end of a four-day, closed-door meeting of the Communist Party's Central Committee in Beijing. The party cited "serious disciplinary and legal violations" in its announcements. The campaign has reached high echelons of the ruling Communist Party and has ensnared top generals and executives in key defense companies, with officials tasked with rooting out graft also being investigated. The Central Military Commission, the body responsible for overseeing China's armed forces, has been significantly depleted by the crackdown.