Record Communist Party expulsions as China's fifth plenum ends in Beijing

China's ruling Communist Party has expelled a record 33 members as its fifth plenum concluded in Beijing, in a gathering marked by unusually low attendance and a renewed emphasis on discipline. The four-day closed-door meeting ended on Thursday at a hotel in the capital, with party discipline taking centre stage over the economic reform themes that have dominated some previous plenums. The meeting was attended by 279 Central Committee members, the lowest number seen in Xi Jinping's 14 years in power.

A communique issued at the end of the plenum said 16 of those expelled were from the military. The statement did not set out specific charges, saying only that the members were removed for "serious disciplinary and legal violations". The party also said it had "squarely confronted the grim reality that party leadership had at times weakened or hollowed out" and would continue to "enforce strict party self-governance, including turning the knife inwards to curb disorder".

The expulsions bring the total number of members removed during Xi's third term to 51, according to the report. That is higher than the 34 expulsions recorded across his first and second terms combined. Outside the plenum, China's top anti-corruption watchdog said 680,000 people across the party apparatus had been disciplined in the first nine months of this year.

The scale of the latest purge underlines how central anti-corruption enforcement remains to Xi's political agenda. Xi has made the fight against corruption a defining feature of his rule since taking office in 2012, describing it as the "biggest threat" to the party. The latest action also reflects a broader pattern in which anti-corruption cases have increasingly involved allegations of disloyalty and political unreliability, not only graft.

In January, Xi warned against "two-faced cadres" who profess loyalty while defying orders and acting in their own interests. The military's heavy representation among those expelled is significant because the armed forces remain a core pillar of party power. The current Central Committee began its term in 2022 with more than 370 members, making the drop in attendance at this plenum especially notable.

Analysts have said the campaign can also serve to consolidate authority, with the scope of enforcement shaped by how secure the leadership feels rather than by corruption alone. What remains unclear is the precise nature of the allegations against the expelled members and whether further disciplinary action will follow. The party has not identified the individuals involved in the communique, and it is not yet known how many of the cases may lead to criminal proceedings.

The next developments to watch are any further disclosures from disciplinary authorities and whether the purge extends to additional senior figures in the military or party apparatus.

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