Xi steps up the crackdown on corruption; 33 officials expelled
The Chinese Communist Party’s Plenary Session has concluded. General Zhang Shengmin, head of the anti-corruption commission, has been promoted to the Politburo.
China is rallying ever more closely behind its core leader, Xi Jinping. The Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party officially concluded in Beijing with the overwhelming victory of the General Secretary’s strategy, based on completing the purge of dissidents and supporting those – particularly within the military ranks – who have shown him loyalty.
At the end of the four-day series of closed-door meetings, held from 26 to 29 October, which was attended by around 300 senior political and military leaders, the Central Committee called on the entire Party to rally more closely around the Politburo, with Xi at its centre, and to fully implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
At tomorrow’s press conference, details will be provided on the steps involved in adopting the final resolution on perseverance, which will be underpinned by full and rigorous self-governance within the Party. This will entail strict internal controls, the fight against corruption and, of course, absolute loyalty to Xi Jinping’s central leadership.
The Plenum formalised and confirmed the expulsion of 33 officials implicated in the latest anti-corruption campaigns targeting the civil service and the military leadership.
General Zhang Shengmin, head of the military’s anti-corruption body, has been promoted and has officially joined the Politburo, thereby consolidating Xi’s control over the armed forces. Xi and Zhang are the only members of the Central Military Commission; the other seats remain desolately vacant.
