Closed-Door Plenum: China's Military Ranks Thinned Before Vote

A closed-door meeting of senior Chinese officials began Monday in Beijing.

The Fifth Plenum convenes roughly 300 members of the Communist Party's Central Committee for a four-day session ending Thursday. State media reported that the gathering will set out stricter internal discipline for Party members. The location of the meeting has not been announced; past sessions have been held inside Beijing's Jingxi Hotel. A summary of decisions and a fuller document will be released after the session concludes.

The Asia Society Policy Institute estimates that of 44 military members appointed to the Central Committee in 2022, only two have not been removed. The Central Military Commission, the seven-member body that commands China's armed forces, now has two members: Xi Jinping and one other general. Allegations of corruption and moral corruption have removed large numbers of senior figures from their posts. Experts cited in the source material describe moral corruption charges as a method of addressing perceived disloyalty to Xi, since disloyalty to the Party can be framed as a breach of morality.

A September readout from the 21-member Politburo stated that the plenum will adopt a decision on major issues related to strict governance of the Party. The meeting sits one year before the next Party Congress, where a new Central Committee is appointed and priorities are set. The Central Committee formally selects the Party's top leadership, though the internal process for that selection is not made public. Past plenums declared Xi the core of the Party, removed term limits on his tenure, and elevated Xi Jinping Thought to the same standing as Chairman Mao's philosophy.

Delegates will vote to fill the vacancies left by the removals. Xi Jinping has used prior plenums to set strategy ahead of Party Congress meetings and to align delegates behind his positions.