China expels 33 officials as Xi tightens Communist Party discipline

Xi Jinping pledged to stamp out corruption when he came to power in 2012. Years of subsequent purges have raised a question among analysts: how much of the campaign concerns corruption, and how much concerns loyalty, according to The Guardian.

That question framed the Communist Party's fifth plenum, a gathering of its Central Committee. The meeting came ahead of a major party congress next year, when President Xi Jinping is almost certain to secure a fourth term and oversee a leadership reshuffle, CNA reported.

On October 26, the closed-door gathering began with stronger party discipline on the agenda, according to NPR. Al Jazeera described the four-day meeting as an occasion to look for clues about China's direction and future leadership.

By October 28, the consequences for leadership selection were coming into focus. Bloomberg reported that Xi's corruption purges were disrupting the search for China's next top leaders.

On October 29, the Central Committee adopted a decision on "advancing full and rigorous governance of the party", including reducing corruption among cadres, according to CNA.

The same day, the BBC reported a record number of purges at the gathering. The Times of India put the number expelled at 33. Observers quoted in the BBC described Xi's anti-corruption campaign as an effort to consolidate and maintain authority.

The meeting also elevated Zhang Shengmin to the Politburo. The Financial Times identified him as the general who led the purge of China's military. On October 30, Bloomberg described the appointment as the first replenishment of the Politburo in more than three decades and reported plans for a congress next year.

The military accounts for a substantial share of the expulsions. According to News18, 16 top generals were among the 33 expelled, with the drive focused on political loyalty and internal discipline.

The absences were visible at the meeting itself. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that attendance was the lowest in decades, mainly because of the crackdown, and that Xi warned purges would continue.

The formal outcome is a new commitment to tighter party governance, alongside a senior promotion for a figure associated with enforcing it. But the leadership question remains unresolved: Deutsche Welle reported that the session left Xi's successor unanswered.

Next year's party congress is the next major milestone. Bloomberg reported that it is set to unveil new leadership, while NPR said Xi is expected to secure his fourth five-year term.

The open questions are who will fill the leadership ranks after the purges and whether further expulsions will follow. Xi's warning that the crackdown would continue, reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, means the changes announced at this plenum may not be the last before the congress.