China Confirms 33 Party Expulsions, Leaving Top Military Body With Two Members

At a glance

• The fifth plenum of the Communist Party’s 20th Central Committee ended on October 29 after four days of meetings in Beijing. It ratified previously announced expulsions of 33 officials, including 16 from the military.
• Those expelled included former Central Military Commission vice-chairman Zhang Youxia and former Joint Staff Department chief Liu Zhenli. The seven-member commission now has only two serving members, Xi and Zhang Shengmin. No replacements were announced for the five vacant positions.
• Zhang Shengmin, a commission vice-chairman who played a central role in the military’s anti-corruption campaign, was elevated to the Politburo.
• Ten alternate Central Committee members were promoted to full membership. The meeting was attended by 162 full members and 117 alternates, compared with the 376 full and alternate members originally selected in 2022. Absence alone does not establish that an official is under investigation.
• The party confirmed that its next national congress will take place in Beijing in the second half of 2027. Xi is widely expected to seek a fourth term as general secretary, although that decision has not been announced.

Context

The plenum focused on party discipline as Xi’s anti-corruption campaign continued to remove senior figures from the military and civilian leadership. The official communiqué cited “serious disciplinary and legal violations” but did not disclose specific allegations against each expelled official. The meeting formalised decisions already taken by the Politburo rather than announcing 33 entirely new cases.

The military leadership has been particularly affected. The Central Military Commission oversees China’s armed forces, and successive removals have reduced its original seven-member roster to Xi and Zhang Shengmin. Zhang’s promotion to the Politburo gives greater political prominence to an official closely associated with the disciplinary campaign. The meeting also began setting the stage for the 2027 congress, when leadership appointments will be made across the party. Promotions to the Central Committee bring officials into a more influential group, but do not by themselves identify a successor to Xi or establish a succession plan.

Why It Matters

The immediate question is how China may rebuild its top military leadership. With five commission positions unfilled, future appointments may help show who is trusted with overseeing the armed forces and how responsibilities are distributed after successive removals. The vacancies show the scale of the disruption, but do not alone establish how it has affected military readiness or operational command.

The political significance of this issue extends to the 2027 congress. Zhang’s elevation highlights the importance of disciplinary work within Xi’s leadership, while the Central Committee promotions bring other officials closer to senior decision-making. These are signals of changing influence, not confirmation of who may lead China next.

What We Think

The expulsions show the reach of Xi’s disciplinary campaign, but their number alone cannot establish whether the underlying problems are being resolved. With limited detail about individual allegations, it is still difficult to distinguish institutional reform from another round of leadership changes.

Now it is to be seen whether the vacant posts are filled through a process that strengthens oversight and provides continuity. Who is appointed matters, but so whether the resulting leadership operates effectively without repeated disruption.