BEIJING — China’s Communist Party has expelled a record 33 members as it concluded its fifth plenum, a four-day closed-door gathering in Beijing that had the most empty seats ever seen.
Only 279 Central Committee members attended, down from 315 at the fourth plenum in October 2025 and 364 in July 2024, the BBC reported. It is the first time in Xi Jinping’s 14 years in power that attendance has fallen below 300.
Sixteen of the 33 expelled were from the military, according to a communiqué issued on Thursday. Those named include former Xinjiang party chief Ma Xingrui, former top generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, and former senior diplomat Liu Jianchao.
The latest expulsions bring the number removed during Xi’s third term to a record 51, compared with 35 and five in his first and second terms. The party’s anti-corruption watchdog said 680,000 people had been disciplined in the first nine months of this year.
The Central Military Commission now has just two members, Xi and vice-chairman Zhang Shengmin, who was promoted to the Politburo at the plenum.
Analysts link the emphasis on discipline and loyalty to next year’s Party Congress, at which Xi is widely expected to secure a fourth term.
Sources: BBC News
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