China's Fifth Plenum Confirms Expulsion of 33 Senior Officials

The Communist Party of China (CPC) confirmed the expulsion of 33 senior officials, including Zhang Youxia, former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee.

Chinese President Xi Jinping stands. Reuters-Yonhap News

According to a communiqué released on October 29 by Xinhua, China's state-run news agency, the CPC approved review reports submitted by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Central Military Commission on “serious violations of discipline and law” at the Fifth Plenum, which concluded that day in Beijing. The party thereby ratified the expulsions.

Those expelled included a large number of senior military officials: Zhang Youxia, former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission; Liu Zhenli, former chief of staff of the commission's Joint Staff Department; Wang Renhua, secretary of the commission's Political and Legal Affairs Commission; Liu Qingsong, former political commissar of the Eastern Theater Command; Huang Ming, former commander of the Northern Theater Command; and Li Qiaoming, former army commander.

Among senior party and government officials were Liu Jianchao, former head of the CPC International Liaison Department; Ma Xingrui, former party secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region; Lan Tianli, former chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; Wang Lixia, former chairwoman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region; Jin Zhuanglong, former minister of industry and information technology; and Yi Huiman, former chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission. Li Yunze, former head of the National Financial Regulatory Administration, was confirmed to have been removed from his party posts.

At the plenary session, the party also elected Zhang Shengmin, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, as an additional member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. It also deliberated on and approved a Central Committee decision on advancing “comprehensive and strict governance of the party.” The communiqué said the party would strengthen the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee, tighten the education, selection, appointment, management and oversight of officials, and improve the oversight systems of the party and the state.

The 21st National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which will determine whether President Xi Jinping secures a fourth consecutive term and shape the next top leadership, will be held in Beijing in the second half of 2027.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.