China’s Communist Party Expels a Record 33 at Fifth Plenum as a Quarter of Seats Sit Empty

Photo: N509FZ, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (file photo, 2021). The Great Hall of the People in Beijing; not from the plenum.

China’s Communist Party confirmed the expulsion of a record 33 members at the fifth plenum of its 20th Central Committee, a four-day closed-door meeting in Beijing that ended on Thursday, Oct. 29. Only 279 full and alternate members attended the Communist Party fifth plenum, compared with the 376 named to the body in 2022, the largest share of empty seats in the post-Mao era, according to Reuters, the BBC and The Guardian.

The figures come from a communique carried by the official Xinhua news agency ✓Claim by Xinhua (Chinese state media); confirmed by Reuters, BBC, Caixin. Independent outlets including Reuters, the BBC, Caixin and Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao reported the same expulsion and attendance numbers.

Who was expelled

The plenum upheld earlier Politburo decisions to expel Ma Xingrui, the former Communist Party secretary of Xinjiang, and Zhang Youxia, who until this year was the military’s highest-ranking general and a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. Former general Liu Zhenli, former senior diplomat Liu Jianchao and former industry minister Jin Zhuanglong were also among those whose expulsions were confirmed, Reuters and Caixin reported. Ma and Zhang Youxia had both sat on the Politburo.

The 33 were made up of 24 full Central Committee members and nine alternates, according to Lianhe Zaobao. Sixteen of them came from the military, the BBC reported, citing the communique. Alternate member Li Yunze was stripped of his party posts. Official statements about several of the expulsions said the officials had “seriously violated” party discipline and rules, language widely read as referring to corruption, the BBC noted.

A shrinking military command

The meeting promoted Zhang Shengmin, the military’s anti-corruption chief and a Central Military Commission vice chairman, to the Politburo. He is now the only military officer on that body, The Guardian reported. Lianhe Zaobao described it as the party’s first mid-term addition to the Politburo in 32 years. With his promotion, the Politburo, which has 24 seats, has 22 members, according to the BBC.

The Central Military Commission, which commands the People’s Liberation Army and had seven members, is down to two: Xi Jinping as chairman and Zhang Shengmin as vice chairman, the BBC and The Guardian reported. Analysts Neil Thomas, Lobsang Tsering and Shengyu Wang of the Asia Society Policy Institute wrote that the scale of the military purge “raises serious questions about organisational leadership and combat readiness,” the BBC said.

“More empty seats underscores the plenum’s focus on Xi’s vision of strict internal discipline,” Thomas wrote in a post on X quoted by The Guardian.

By the numbers: attendance at recent plenums

Attendance has fallen at each recent gathering. The fifth plenum drew 279 members, against 315 at the fourth plenum in October 2025 and 364 at the third plenum in July 2024, the BBC reported. The 279 comprised 162 full members and 117 alternates, according to Caixin.

TBR calculations from those figures: 97 of the 376 members named in 2022 were absent, or 25.8% of the original roster, meaning attendance was 74.2%. Attendance fell by 36 people (11.4%) from the fourth plenum and by 85 people (23.4%) from the third. Not every absence is explained; The Guardian noted that some empty seats had no public explanation.

Source: BBC, citing official communiques; change column is a TBR calculation.

Ten vacancies filled

The plenum promoted 10 alternate members to full Central Committee membership, all civilians, again passing over several higher-ranked alternates, Caixin reported. They include Inner Mongolia government chairman Bao Gang, Zhejiang Governor Liu Jie, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China President Liu Jun, China Daily publisher Qu Yingpu and Jinan party secretary Liu Qiang.

Setting up the 2027 congress

The plenum adopted a resolution on tightening discipline and fighting corruption, AP reported. It also scheduled the 21st Party Congress for the second half of 2027 in Beijing, opening the twice-a-decade contest for top posts, Reuters said. Xi, the longest-serving leader of the People’s Republic since Mao Zedong, is widely expected to seek a fourth term as party leader there, according to AP and The Guardian.

The Guardian reported that many analysts believe the purges have been so broad that few suitable candidates remain for promotion when the Central Committee and Politburo are refreshed next year. For related coverage of China’s military posture this week, see TBR’s reports on China’s low-level delegation to the ADMM-Plus talks in Cebu and Chinese drills near disputed shoals.

Sources

• The Guardian: China expels a record number from Communist party
• Reuters (via NBC News): China’s Communist Party expels 33 officials in post-Mao-era record purge
• BBC: Record number of purges as Xi emphasises ‘party discipline’
• Caixin: China elevates military leader to Politburo, ratifies party expulsions
• Caixin: China’s Communist Party fills 10 Central Committee vacancies

Additional sources

• Lianhe Zaobao: CCP fifth plenum elects Zhang Shengmin to Politburo
• AP: Chinese Communist Party’s plenum backs Xi’s discipline push