China’s ruling Communist Party is in the third day of a closed-door conclave in Beijing focused on tightening discipline within its own ranks, the last major party gathering before a leadership reshuffle next year in which President Xi Jinping is expected to secure a historic fourth term. The fifth plenum of the 20th Central Committee opened on Monday with roughly 300 members in attendance, according to state media, and runs until Thursday, October 29. Xi briefed the session on a draft decision on “full and rigorous party self-governance” that state news agency Xinhua said addressed corruption, complacency and cadres who fail to implement Beijing’s orders.
A thinned leadership
The gathering opens with the leadership visibly thinned by years of investigations and purges, including in the armed forces. The Asia Society Policy Institute estimates that only 77.4 per cent of the original 2022 cohort would be in a position to attend, according to Reuters, while three of the 24 Politburo members elected in 2022 are gone and five of the original seven members of the Central Military Commission have been removed. Turnout is expected to be the lowest at any post-Mao plenum, according to analysts. Brookings analysts note the plenum is likely to confirm the purges of officials already removed, including former Politburo members Zhang Youxia and Ma Xingrui, whose expulsions Reuters reports the conclave is set to ratify. State media published an article ahead of the session, based on a speech Xi gave in January, in which he railed against “two-faced” officials who appear to comply with central directives but “inwardly resist.”
What to watch
Few details from the closed-door gathering will become public before it closes on Thursday, when an official communique is expected. “The plenum will present Xi as in control, and able to continue his command,” said Kerry Brown, director of King’s College London’s Lau China Institute, in comments to Reuters. Analysts told AFP that Xi is trying to maximise efficiency and loyalty among cadres by imposing more supervision and rules, as the party prepares for its 21st Party Congress in 2027.
