Key facts
- The fifth plenum of China's Communist Party will convene in Beijing from Monday to Thursday.
- The meeting will focus on tightening party discipline and enforcing Xi Jinping's authority.
- Analysts expect the plenum to signal system-wide changes ahead of the 2027 Party Congress.
- Several high-ranking officials, including Politburo members, have been removed due to corruption and disloyalty.
- Nearly a quarter of the 2022 leadership cohort has been removed in disciplinary actions.
China's ruling Communist Party is set to convene its fifth plenum in Beijing from Monday to Thursday, gathering around 300 of its highest-ranking members. The closed-door meeting will focus on tightening discipline within the party ranks and reinforcing President Xi Jinping's authority and ideological control. This plenum is seen by analysts as a crucial opportunity for Xi to solidify his position ahead of the 2027 leadership reshuffle, even as he is widely expected to secure a fourth term at the 21st Party Congress next year.
Xi has been intensifying an internal discipline campaign since 2014, leading to investigations of millions within the bureaucracy and the purging of hundreds of senior officials and top generals. The party portrays this campaign as necessary for regeneration, while critics argue it can be destabilizing. Analysts suggest the focus on discipline aims to ensure a new generation of leaders aligns with Xi's political standards.
The plenum is not expected to reveal major personnel changes or a succession plan, but rather to signal system-wide changes desired by Xi. He has outlined priorities including enforcing uncontested party leadership decisions, institutionalizing cadre power, and sustaining the high-pressure anti-graft campaign. Xi has also criticized "two-faced" officials who outwardly support the party but privately resist its directives or undermine its authority.
The disciplinary drive has significantly thinned the ranks of the Central Committee, with projections indicating the lowest attendance at a post-Mao plenum. Three of the 24 Politburo members elected in 2022 have been removed, along with five members of the Central Military Commission. The plenum is expected to ratify the expulsion of Politburo members Zhang Youxia and Ma Xingrui over corruption and disloyalty charges.