The mass expulsions, confirmed following a four-day Central Committee meeting, heavily targeted senior armed forces leadership, including former high-ranking military officials and provincial chiefs. Consequently, China's Central Military Commission has shrunk to merely two members, leaving President Xi Jinping and a newly elevated veteran general in command. Furthermore, China's anti-corruption watchdog disciplined 680,000 personnel across the broader party apparatus during the first nine months of the year. This persistent consolidation of authority comes as Xi prepares to potentially seek a fourth term in office.
Key points
The unprecedented depletion of China's armed forces leadership leaves the governing milit…: The unprecedented depletion of China's armed forces leadership leaves the governing military commission with only two active members.
Widespread disciplinary actions disciplined 680,000 individuals across the party apparatu…: Widespread disciplinary actions disciplined 680,000 individuals across the party apparatus in the first nine months of the year.
The deepening internal purges reinforce absolute loyalty to Xi Jinping as the 2027 Party…: The deepening internal purges reinforce absolute loyalty to Xi Jinping as the 2027 Party Congress approaches.
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Chinese President
Xi Jinping has intensified his sweeping anti-corruption campaign, with the Communist Party expelling 33 members, including senior military officers and prominent political figures, as a key leadership meeting exposed the scale of the ongoing purge.
The expulsions were confirmed in a communique issued on Thursday at the end of a four-day, closed-door meeting of the Communist Party's Central Committee in Beijing. Sixteen of those expelled were from the military, according to the BBC, as party discipline and political loyalty took centre stage at the gathering.
Xi urged the Communist Party and the military to “turn the blade inward”, launch a self-revolution and root out “viruses” undermining their institutional health.
The fifth plenum of the current Central Committee was marked by an unprecedented number of absences in the post-Mao era. Only 279 members attended, compared with 315 at the previous plenum in October 2025 and 364 in July 2024. The committee, which began its term in 2022 with more than 370 members, has been steadily depleted by Xi's crackdown.
The party cited "serious disciplinary and legal violations" in its…
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