In short
- Thirty-three members were expelled from China’s Communist Party at the end of its fifth plenum, 16 of them from the military, according to a communique issued on Thursday.
- The plenum drew 279 Central Committee members, down from 315 in October 2025 and 364 in July 2024, the first time attendance has fallen below 300 in Xi Jinping’s 14 years as leader.
- Zhang Fuhai of the party’s disciplinary commission said more than two million people have been disciplined since 2012 for “pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance”.
- The expulsions take the total removed during Xi Jinping’s third term to a record 51, compared with 35 in his first term and five in his second.
- China’s top anti-corruption watchdog reported that 680,000 people across the party apparatus were disciplined in the first nine months of this year.
The Communist Party of China expelled a record 33 members as its fifth plenum ended in Beijing, a four-day closed-door gathering held at a hotel. Attendance fell to 279 Central Committee members, the first time a plenum under Xi Jinping has drawn fewer than 300 participants.
How many members were expelled and who attended the plenum?
Thirty-three members were expelled from the Communist Party of China, according to a communique issued on Thursday at the end of the four-day meeting. The plenum drew 279 Central Committee members, down from 315 at the fourth plenum in October 2025 and 364 at the third plenum in July 2024. The current Central Committee began its term in 2022 with more than 370 members, and this is the first time in Xi Jinping’s 14 years of leadership that plenum attendance has fallen below 300.
Who was purged?
Sixteen of the 33 expelled members came from the military. Among the high-ranking officials removed were former Xinjiang party chief Ma Xingrui and former top generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli. Zhang Youxia was also vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, which controls the armed forces; the seven-member commission has been reduced to two, with Xi Jinping as chairman and Zhang Shengmin as vice-chairman. Former diplomat Liu Jianchao, who disappeared from public view in July last year, was also named among those purged. Ma Xingrui and Zhang Youxia were former Politburo members, and their removal, along with that of former general He Weidong in 2025, at one point left the 24-man Politburo with 21 members. Zhang Shengmin was promoted to the body at the fifth plenum, bringing it to 22.
Why did party discipline dominate the agenda?
Recent plenums focused on economic reform or social and development issues; this week’s gathering put party discipline at its centre. Xi Jinping has made the fight against corruption a central pillar of his rule since taking power in 2012, calling it the “biggest threat” to the party. Zhang Fuhai, from the party’s disciplinary commission, told a press briefing on Friday that more than two million individuals had been disciplined since then in cases related to “pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance”. He said the party would enhance efforts to ensure officials “dare not, cannot, and do not want to be corrupt”.
The party’s statement said it had “squarely confronted the grim reality that party leadership had at times weakened or hollowed out” and would “enforce strict party self-governance, including turning the knife inwards”. China’s top anti-corruption watchdog reported that 680,000 people across the party apparatus were disciplined in the first nine months of this year.
What does the plenum mean for Xi Jinping’s authority?
Chong Ja Ian, a non-resident scholar with Carnegie China, said the campaign had become “an effort to consolidate and maintain authority” and would “continue and expand depending on how secure Xi feels rather than any real issue with corruption”. The expulsions lift the number of members removed during Xi Jinping’s third term to a record 51, against 35 in his first term and five in his second.
Analysts link the emphasis on discipline to next year’s Party Congress, when the party will vote again for its leader; a leadership reshuffle is due in 2027. Neil Thomas, Lobsang Tsering and Shengyu Wang of the Asia Society Policy Institute described the removal of the military’s top brass as “in a category of its own”, writing that it “raises serious questions about organisational leadership and combat readiness”. Chong said Xi’s focus is “further consolidating power around himself”, adding that “further down the road, such concentration of power may pave the way for a more serious power vacuum when Xi ages and slows down”.
Frequently asked questions
How many members were expelled at China’s fifth plenum?
Thirty-three members were expelled, 16 of them from the military, according to the communique issued at the end of the four-day closed-door meeting in Beijing.
What happened to China’s Central Military Commission?
The seven-member body that controls the armed forces has been reduced to two members, Xi Jinping as chairman and Zhang Shengmin as vice-chairman, after the removal of Zhang Youxia and other officers.
Why does plenum attendance matter?
Attendance fell to 279 Central Committee members, the first time below 300 in Xi Jinping’s 14 years as leader; the committee began its term in 2022 with more than 370 members.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)