In a year when the instruments of power in Beijing are being quietly rearranged, the fifth plenum of the Chinese Communist Party closed with its most striking features written not in its communiqué but in its empty chairs. Only 279 of the 376 Central Committee members attended, and a record 33 were expelled, among them a former second-ranking military figure and a former Xinjiang party secretary. The gathering marks another stage in Xi Jinping's long campaign against corruption, which many observers now read as a tool for enforcing loyalty as much as for cleaning house. As the 21st Party Congr
China Expels Record 33 Officials From Communist Party as Xi's Purges Leave Empty Seats
The most telling detail was the number of chairs left unfilled.
Mark
Start with the number. Why do the empty chairs matter more than the 33 expulsions?
Mimi
Because the chairs show the cumulative effect. Of the 376 people named to the Central Committee in 2022, only 279 attended. That is more than a quarter gone, the most in modern Chinese history.
Luke
Careful, though. Not every missing person was expelled. The confirmed cases are Zhang Youxia and Ma Xingrui. Other absences were unexplained.
Mark
So the 25% figure is absence, not purge.
Mimi
Right. The reporting says many were due to purges, not all. It's a strong signal, but not a precise count.
Mark
What about the military side?
Mimi
The Central Military Commission had seven members. Now it has two: Xi and Zhang Shengmin, the anti-graft chief. Zhang was also just promoted to the politburo, where he's the only military member.
Luke
That's the hard fact. What's not established is the motive. The source says the campaign raises questions about whether it removes rivals or punishes disloyalty. It doesn't answer them.
Mark
And Xi's own framing?
Mimi
He talks about uprooting "sick trees" and a "never-ending journey." He sees a discipline problem.
Luke
And the claim that few candidates remain for promotion is what many analysts believe, not a measured fact. We'll learn more at the 2027 congress.
Il Polso
- Over a quarter of the Central Committee failed to show up, leaving chairs conspicuously empty at a plenum that traditionally projects unity.
- A record 33 members were expelled, including ex-military second-in-command Zhang Youxia and former Xinjiang chief Ma Xingrui.
- The Central Military Commission has been stripped to just two members, Xi Jinping and anti-graft chief Zhang Shengmin, who was promoted to the politburo this week.
- Xi's anti-corruption drive is being pressed harder than ever, with talk of uprooting "sick trees" and a "never-ending journey" against graft.
- Analysts doubt enough suitable candidates remain to refresh the ranks at the 2027 Party Congress, where Xi is expected to seek a fourth term.
In a year when the instruments of power in Beijing are being quietly rearranged, the fifth plenum of the Chinese Communist Party closed with its most striking features written not in its communiqué but in its empty chairs. Only 279 of the 376 Central Committee members attended, and a record 33 were expelled, among them a former second-ranking military figure and a former Xinjiang party secretary. The gathering marks another stage in Xi Jinping's long campaign against corruption, which many observers now read as a tool for enforcing loyalty as much as for cleaning house. As the 21st Party Congress approaches, the question is less who will be removed than whether enough trusted people remain to fill what has been emptied.
When the fifth plenum of the Chinese Communist Party closed this week, the most telling detail was not in any official statement. It was the number of seats left unfilled. Only 279 of the 376 Central Committee members named in 2022 attended, the highest count of absences at a plenum in modern Chinese history.
Many of those absences are tied to purges, and the meeting also produced a record 33 expulsions from the party. Among those confirmed were Zhang Youxia, once the second-ranking figure in the military beneath Xi Jinping, and Ma Xingrui, former party secretary of Xinjiang. Other absences went unexplained, leaving observers to read the gaps for themselves.
The military shows the strain most clearly. Successive purges have gutted the seven-member Central Military Commission, which now has only two members: Xi and Zhang Shengmin, the military's anti-graft chief. Zhang was elevated to the politburo this week and is now its only military member.
The campaign against corruption, which Xi began in 2012, has grown more intense and reached the highest ranks. Questions persist about whether it also removes rivals and punishes disloyalty. Looking ahead, the 21st Party Congress, expected in the second half of 2027, will refresh the Central Committee and politburo, and Xi is expected to secure a fourth term. Yet many analysts doubt there are enough suitable candidates left to promote, and how Xi fills the vacancies is the question to watch.
When the fifth plenum of the Chinese Communist Party closed this week, the most telling detail was not in any communiqué. It was the number of chairs left unfilled. Only 279 of the full and alternate members of the Central Committee attended, against the 376 named to the body in 2022. More than a quarter of the original cohort was missing, the highest count of empty chairs at a plenum in modern Chinese history.
Many of those absences trace to purges. The gathering, which top officials hold roughly once a year, also set a record for expulsions: 33 members were thrown out of the party. Among the confirmed cases were Zhang Youxia, who had been the second-ranking figure in the military hierarchy beneath Xi Jinping, and Ma Xingrui, a former party secretary of Xinjiang. Other absences were not explained.
Neil Thomas, a senior fellow at the Asia Society thinktank, wrote on X that the additional empty seats underscored the plenum's focus on Xi's vision of strict internal discipline. The meeting's declared theme was party governance.
The focus is not new. Xi has pursued corruption inside the party since he took power in 2012. In recent years, though, the campaign has intensified and reached into the highest ranks of both the party and the military. That has raised questions about whether it also serves to remove political rivals or punish disloyalty. Xi appears increasingly frustrated with what he regards as poor discipline in the ranks of a party that holds absolute authority over the state and society. Earlier this year he said the party must uproot "sick trees" and called the anti-corruption fight a "never-ending journey."
The military leadership shows the effect most starkly. A series of purges has gutted the seven-man Central Military Commission, the ruling body of the People's Liberation Army. Only two members remain: Xi himself and Zhang Shengmin, the military's anti-graft chief. Zhang was promoted to the politburo this week, the party's highest ruling body, and is now the only military member of that senior leadership group.
The plenum also laid groundwork for the 21st Party Congress, which convenes every five years and is expected in the second half of 2027. Xi is expected to secure a fourth term as party leader, which would make him the longest-serving ruler of Communist China since Mao Zedong.
The congress will refresh the ranks of both the Central Committee and the politburo. But many analysts believe the recent purges have been so sweeping that few suitable candidates are left to promote. How Xi fills the vacancies, and from whose ranks, is the question to watch as the congress approaches.
Citazioni salienti
More empty seats underscores the plenum's focus on Xi's vision of strict internal discipline.— Neil Thomas, senior fellow, Asia Society
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