Xi Jinping sets anti-corruption at center of upcoming party plenum

Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials are preparing for a high-level gathering this week that will place party discipline and loyalty at the forefront of the agenda. The fifth plenum begins on Monday and is scheduled to address major issues regarding the party’s full and rigorous self-governance. According to state media, this terminology serves as a proxy for anti-corruption measures and internal unity. More than 300 members of the CCP’s Central Committee will attend the session, which is part of a five-year cycle of meetings.

The emphasis on governance coincides with a sustained campaign against graft that has accelerated since Xi Jinping assumed power in 2012. In the previous year, disciplinary authorities initiated investigations into over one million individuals. This figure includes more than 100 officials holding positions at or above the ministerial or provincial level. Analysts note that the sheer volume of cases suggests that corruption remains a structural feature of the party’s administration of 1.4 billion people rather than an anomaly.

Recent months have seen a sharp increase in high-profile removals from senior leadership. In January, Zhang Youxia, China’s top general and second only to Xi in the military hierarchy, was placed under investigation. He was expelled from the party last month after being removed from the Central Military Commission. The Central Military Commission, which typically consists of seven members, has been reduced to just two: Xi and Zhang Shengmin, the commission’s head of discipline. Other recent figures targeted include Ma Xingrui, the former party secretary for Xinjiang, and Huang Qifan, the former mayor of Chongqing.

The upcoming plenum is viewed as a final opportunity to consolidate leadership before the 21st Party Congress next year. At that congress, a new Central Committee will be selected, and Xi is expected to secure a fourth term as the head of the CCP. The timing suggests a strategic effort to eliminate potential threats to his authority or the party’s credibility before the leadership transition.

Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College London, stated that in Xi’s worldview, corruption and political disloyalty are often interchangeable. Brown explained, “If you’re corrupt, you’re not politically loyal. If you’re politically loyal, you’re not corrupt.” He added that the party views corruption as both material and spiritual, with the latter encompassing political dissent.

Neil Thomas, a senior fellow at the Asia Society, noted that while Xi has made the party less corrupt, he recognizes that stricter punishment alone cannot fully resolve the issue of officials prioritizing personal interests. Thomas said Xi’s answer is to keep tightening discipline, making anti-corruption a permanent method of governing with no obvious point at which he can declare the job done. Xi has previously warned that the party could lose its ruling status if it failed to maintain internal order, a sentiment that continues to drive the current crackdown.