Only Two of 44 Military Committee Members Remain

Only two of the 44 military members appointed to the Central Committee in 2022 remain in their posts, according to an estimate from the Asia Society Policy Institute. This sharp reduction underscores the scale of recent personnel changes within the Chinese political establishment. The body responsible for these decisions is the all-powerful seven-man Central Military Commission. That group has been reduced to just two individuals: President Xi Jinping and one other general. The current meeting provides a platform for Xi to appoint new officers to this critical body.

The Fifth Plenum is currently underway in Beijing. The session runs for four days and began on Monday. It involves approximately 300 members of the Central Committee. State media indicated that the gathering is designed to tighten discipline within the Party ranks. The specific location of the meeting has not been announced, though previous plenums were held at Beijing's Jingxi Hotel. The session is scheduled to conclude on Thursday.

Plenums are closed-door meetings that occur at least once a year. They typically serve to signal leadership priorities. There are usually seven such meetings during each five-year term of the Central Committee. After the session ends, a summary of decisions and a more detailed document will be released to the public. The timing of this specific plenum is significant because it occurs one year before the next Party Congress. That upcoming congress will set new priorities and appoint a new central committee.

The next Party Congress is expected to reappoint Xi as the country's leader. This outcome follows the earlier abolition of term limits. Past plenum sessions have been used to declare Xi as the core of the Party. Those sessions also elevated his personal philosophy, known as Xi Jinping Thought, to a status comparable to Chairman Mao's. This year's agenda allows Xi to dictate strategy in the lead-up to the Congress, aiming to ensure delegate loyalty.

Delegates facing empty seats in the room are likely to feel nervous. Recent purges have removed large numbers of senior figures based on allegations of corruption. Some of these allegations involve moral corruption. Experts view this category as a method for cracking down on perceived disloyalty to Xi. In this context, disloyalty to the Party can be interpreted as a breach of morality. A readout from the 21-member Politburo in September stated that the plenum will adopt decisions on advancing the comprehensive strict governance of the Party. This language is seen as a move to ensure obedience from distant party officials.

The plenum serves as a mechanism to consolidate power following the removal of key figures. The central committee officially selects the top leadership, but the actual selection process remains secret within the Party elite. The current session allows for the restructuring of military command and the alignment of views ahead of the next major political event.