China expelled a record number of officials from the Chinese Communist party (CCP) as it concluded a major political gathering, which saw an unprecedented number of empty seats indicating the scale of the purges under Xi Jinping.
A record 33 members were expelled at this week’s fifth plenum, a gathering of top officials that takes place roughly once a year.
Just 279 of the full and alternate members of the CCP’s Central Committee attended this week’s gathering, compared with the 376 originally named as members in 2022. That means that more than 25% of the original cohort were absent, many due to purges. It is the highest number of “empty chairs” at the plenum in modern Chinese history.
The confirmed expulsions included Zhang Youxia, the former second-in-command to China’s leader in the military hierarchy, and Ma Xingrui, the former party secretary for Xinjiang. Other absences were unexplained.
“More empty seats underscores the plenum’s focus on Xi’s vision of strict internal discipline,” said Neil Thomas, a senior fellow at the Asia Society thinktank, in a post on X.
The theme for this week’s plenum was party governance. Since coming to power in 2012 Xi has focused on stamping out corruption in the party. But in recent years the campaign has intensified, taking out officials in the highest ranks of the party and the military, raising questions about if the campaign is also a tool to remove political rivals or punish disloyalty.
Zhang Shengming, top, sits behind Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the opening session of the fifth plenum in Beijing. Photograph: Andy Wong/AP
Xi appears to have grown increasingly frustrated with what he sees as a lack of discipline in the ranks of the party that wields absolute authority over the state and society in China. Earlier this year he said that the party must uproot “sick trees” and that the fight against corruption was a “never-ending journey”.
A series of purges has gutted the seven-man Central Military Commission, the ruling body of China’s People’s Liberation Army. There are now just two members left: Xi himself, and the military’s anti-graft tsar, Zhang Shengmin.
Zhang was promoted to the politburo of the CCP this week, the highest ruling body in the party. Zhang is now the only military member of the senior leadership body.
The plenum also laid the groundwork for the 21st Party congress which happens every five years and, is expected to be held in the second half of 2027. Xi is expected to secure a fourth term as leader of the party, making him the longest ruler of Communist China since Mao Zedong.
The ranks of the Central Committee and the politburo will be refreshed at next year’s congress, but many analysts believe that recent purges have been so wide-ranging that there are few suitable candidates to be promoted.
