At the close of a four-day meeting held behind closed doors, China's ruling Communist Party elevated Gen. Zhang Shengmin to the Politburo, giving the armed forces a voice in the party's highest body for the first time since a series of purges emptied the military's ranks at the top. The gathering also approved a resolution on self-governance, discipline and anti-corruption, a theme that has shaped Xi Jinping's rule since 2012. Observers read the moment as a step toward a longer-term system of party discipline, arriving roughly a year before Xi is widely expected to begin a fourth term.
China Elevates Gen. Zhang Shengmin to Politburo as Xi Tightens Party Discipline
The anti-corruption push should no longer be treated as a campaign.
Mark
Why does one general joining the Politburo matter so much?
Mimi
Because the Politburo had no one from the People's Liberation Army until Zhang Shengmin was elevated. Xi had purged two top generals, which left Zhang as the only member of the Central Military Commission besides Xi.
Mark
And Zhang's other role?
Mimi
He is deputy secretary of the commission's discipline inspection body, so he oversees internal discipline in the military. That fits the theme of the whole meeting.
Luke
Careful, though. The reporting tells us what happened, not why Xi chose him. Anything about motive would be inference.
Mark
Fair. What did the resolution actually say?
Mimi
That the party's tasks are increasingly arduous, and that it must step up self-governance: rooting out corruption and keeping ideological purity. That comes from the Xinhua summary, not the full text.
Luke
Right, and the full resolution wasn't described. We have a summary from state media.
Mark
What do analysts make of it?
Mimi
Mingda Qiu of the Eurasia Group says the anti-corruption push is no longer a campaign but permanent, and that more mechanisms will follow. Analysts also say it now covers underperforming officials.
Luke
That's his reading, and a forecast. And the 74% attendance figure is Neil Thomas's own calculation, not an official number. It's the lowest since Mao's time by his analysis.
Mark
So what is firmly established?
Luke
The promotion, the resolution, the four-day meeting, and that the earlier purges were confirmed. The rest is analysis, and the fourth term is still only expected.
Le Pouls
- Two of the country's most senior generals have fallen, leaving Zhang Shengmin as the only military figure standing beside Xi on the Central Military Commission.
- A closed-door plenum has tightened the message that corruption and ideological drift are existential threats to the party.
- Attendance reportedly fell to 74 percent, the lowest level since the Mao era, signaling how widely the removals reached.
- Analysts expect new anti-corruption mechanisms to be built, suggesting the crackdown is settling into permanent institutions ahead of Xi's expected fourth term.
At the close of a four-day meeting held behind closed doors, China's ruling Communist Party elevated Gen. Zhang Shengmin to the Politburo, giving the armed forces a voice in the party's highest body for the first time since a series of purges emptied the military's ranks at the top. The gathering also approved a resolution on self-governance, discipline and anti-corruption, a theme that has shaped Xi Jinping's rule since 2012. Observers read the moment as a step toward a longer-term system of party discipline, arriving roughly a year before Xi is widely expected to begin a fourth term.
On Thursday, at the end of a four-day session held behind closed doors, China's top Communist Party leaders promoted Gen. Zhang Shengmin to the Politburo, the party's highest governing body. Zhang now stands as the only general on the military oversight commission apart from Xi Jinping himself, a position that followed Xi's earlier purge of two of the country's leading generals. Until this promotion, the Politburo had no representative from the People's Liberation Army.
The same meeting approved a resolution on strengthening the party's self-governance, discipline and anti-corruption work. According to the official Xinhua News Agency, the party called its tasks "increasingly arduous" and said it must root out corruption and preserve ideological purity to keep its close ties with the people and its capacity to govern over the long term.
Analysts see the crackdown, now more than a decade old, as a permanent feature of party rule rather than a passing campaign. One observer estimated attendance at 74 percent, the lowest since Mao's era, suggesting how far the removals reached. The next signals to watch are the disciplinary mechanisms expected to follow and the role of the military's lone Politburo voice as Xi approaches a likely fourth term.
On Thursday, at the end of a four-day meeting held behind closed doors, China's top Communist Party leaders promoted Gen. Zhang Shengmin to the Politburo, the party's highest governing body. Zhang is the only general left on the commission that oversees the country's military, other than Xi Jinping himself.
Zhang is vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. He also serves as deputy secretary of the commission's Discipline Inspection body, which polices internal discipline in the armed forces. His elevation follows Xi's earlier purge of two of China's top generals. That left Zhang alone on the commission with Xi, and it left the Politburo with no representative from the People's Liberation Army until this promotion.
The same meeting adopted a resolution on strengthening the party's self-governance, discipline and anti-corruption work. The leaders deliberated on and approved resolutions meant to guide the party in the coming years. The timing matters: the gathering comes about a year before Xi is widely expected to secure a fourth five-year term as party leader.
According to a summary carried by the official Xinhua News Agency, the party described the tasks before it as "increasingly arduous." It cited the need to unite and lead the people to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests. To do that, it said, the party must step up self-governance, which means rooting out corruption and maintaining ideological purity. The summary said the party should keep its progressive nature and purity, and its close, flesh-and-blood ties with the people, with an eye to enhancing its long-term governance capacity.
Xi has made anti-corruption a signature cause since taking power in 2012, and the crackdown on officials has now run for more than a decade. Analysts say its focus has widened to include underperforming officials. Mingda Qiu, a senior analyst at the Eurasia Group, said the push should no longer be treated as a campaign, and that it is here to stay. He read Thursday's message as showing that Xi regards corruption and disciplinary violations as existential challenges for the party, and he expects more mechanisms to be created to deal with them.
Party members also reviewed the earlier purges of top civilian and military officials, confirming the personnel changes. The meeting itself offered evidence of how far those purges reached. Neil Thomas, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute who studies Chinese politics, said the plenum revealed wider-than-expected removals. By his calculation, attendance was 74%, the lowest since the era of Mao Zedong, who regularly carried out political purges.
What to watch next: the new disciplinary mechanisms analysts expect, and how the military's single remaining voice on the Politburo fits into the run-up to Xi's anticipated fourth term.
Citations marquantes
The anti-corruption push should no longer be treated as a campaign. It is here to stay.— Mingda Qiu, senior analyst, Eurasia Group
The plenum revealed wider-than-expected purges, with attendance of 74%, the lowest since Mao's time.— Neil Thomas, Asia Society Policy Institute (paraphrased)
Envie de l'histoire complète ?
Lire l'original sur Manila Bulletin ↗
Politics & Governance