Key facts
- The plenum confirmed the expulsion of 33 senior party members, including Zhang Youxia and Liu Jianchao, NPR reported.
- Of 376 full and alternate central committee members named in 2022, 279 attended, NPR reported.
- General Zhang Shengmin was promoted to the Politburo at the meeting, according to NPR.
- The Communist Party pledged to crack down on "unwritten rules" that enable corruption, the primary report said.
- Nikkei Asia reported the plenum ended with an unusually lengthy list of personnel changes.
China's ruling Communist Party concluded its fifth plenum on Thursday, October 29, 2026, confirming the expulsion of 33 senior party members, NPR reported. The meeting, the party's Central Committee plenary session, began on Monday, October 26, and closed three days later.
Of the 376 full and alternate central committee members originally named in 2022, 279 attended, NPR reported, leaving more than a quarter absent. Many of those absent are believed to be under investigation, according to the report.
Among the 33 expelled were Zhang Youxia, formerly China's most senior military general, and Liu Jianchao, a senior diplomat previously tipped to be the next foreign minister, NPR reported. General Zhang Shengmin, a figure in Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign, was promoted to the Politburo, the party's top decision-making body of more than 20 officials.
Joseph Torigian, a professor of Chinese studies at American University in Washington D.C., told NPR the meeting was "Xi Jinping setting up for the next party congress next year by ensuring that everybody is on the same page as him." Neil Thomas, senior fellow on Chinese politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said the focus on discipline suggests Xi is unlikely to take risks over Taiwan, the South China Sea and disputes with the U.S. until he feels more comfortable with the party he leads.
Nikkei Asia reported that the plenum ended with an unusually lengthy list of personnel changes, and that the expulsions and promotions point to distrust within the military and to a new generation of leadership hopefuls. Officials held a press conference in Beijing on Friday, October 30, a day after the meeting closed.
The Communist Party of China also pledged to crack down on the "unwritten rules" that enable corruption, deepening a campaign to keep officials in line, according to the primary report.