President Xi Jinping has initiated the largest purge of officials from China's Communist Party in its history, a move aimed at reinforcing internal discipline and ensuring the party's long-term survival. This extensive removal of 33 members has resulted in a record number of empty seats at the party's annual gathering, highlighting the scale of Xi's ongoing anti-corruption drive.
The party leadership acknowledged "squarely confronted the grim reality that party leadership had at times weakened or hollowed out," vowing to "enforce strict party self-governance, including turning the knife inwards to... curb disorder." The specific charges against some of the ousted officials remain unclear, beyond general references to "serious disciplinary and legal violations."
According to the official Xinhua news agency, 279 full and alternate members of the leadership body attended the recent gathering, a significant decrease from the 376 originally named in 2022. This indicates that more than a quarter of the original cohort has been purged.
The Central Military Commission, the nation's supreme military command, has been particularly affected. Five of its seven members appointed in the 2022 reshuffle have been purged, leaving only Xi and Vice-Chair Zhang Shengmin in their positions. Zhang is noted as a discipline enforcer rather than an operational commander.
The plenum officially ratified the expulsion of 33 officials, including former Politburo members Ma Xingrui and Zhang Youxia. This brings the number of sitting Politburo members ousted during the current term to three, the highest since 1980.
Other notable figures among the expelled include former senior diplomat Liu Jianchao and former industry minister Jin Zhuanglong.
Xi's actions suggest a deep-seated belief that this self-cleansing campaign is crucial for the party's survival and its indefinite rule. He previously stated in 2012 that unchecked corruption would ultimately lead to the "total collapse of the party and the state." His subsequent anti-corruption crackdown, initiated shortly after he came to power, has been unprecedented in its intensity since the Mao era, ensnaring millions and leading to the purge of hundreds of high-ranking officials.
Xi has urged the party and military to "turn the blade inward" and conduct a revolution to eradicate internal "viruses." Despite the significant turnover of officials, the party leadership has presented itself as stronger than ever, celebrating achievements it claims will be "recorded forever in the history books of building Marxist political parties."
The anti-corruption campaign shows no signs of abating. The party reiterated its commitment to a "tough, protracted and all-out battle against corruption" to address ongoing problems and "major challenges."