Politics · 2026-10-29 · Afternoon briefing

China's Communist Party expels record 33 members in purge

A record 33 members have been expelled from China's Communist Party following its annual four-day plenum in Beijing, including sixteen from the military. Attendance at the gathering was also the lowest in Xi Jinping's 14-year leadership, with just 279 Central Committee members present, the first time the number has dropped below 300.

The latest expulsions bring the total number of senior officials removed during Xi's third term to 51, a sharp increase from 35 in his first term and five in his second. Among those purged were former Politburo members Ma Xingrui and Zhang Youxia. The broader disciplinary drive is vast: China's anti-corruption watchdog has disciplined 680,000 people across the party apparatus in the first nine months of this year.

While officially targeting corruption, the plenum's focus on "party discipline" is widely interpreted as a demand for loyalty ahead of a 2027 leadership reshuffle. The purges have hollowed out key bodies; the seven-member Central Military Commission, which controls the armed forces, now consists of just two people: Xi as chairman and his vice-chairman, Zhang Shengmin.

Summary written by Cup of News with AI from the sources below. Check the originals for the full story.

Read the sources

• China’s Communist Party expels 33 officials in post-Mao era record purge
• China's Communist Party Conclave on Toughening Discipline Sees Record Expulsions, Absences
• Communist Party expels 33 in largest purge since reform
• China Confirms Expulsion of 33 Officials, as Xi’s Purge Deepens
• Xi Opens CCP Plenum Amid Sweeping Purges, Record-Low Attendance Forecast

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