Xi to Rebuild Military Command at Plenum

The Communist Party of China is convening its Fifth Plenum in Beijing to restructure military leadership and enforce stricter internal discipline. The four-day session began on Monday, October 20, and is scheduled to conclude on Thursday, October 23. Approximately 300 members of the Central Committee are attending the closed-door meetings. State media indicated the gathering will serve as a precursor to the next Party Congress, which takes place next year.

The agenda focuses on consolidating power following a wave of removals within the military establishment. The Asia Society Policy Institute calculated that 42 of the 44 military officials appointed to the Central Committee in 2022 have since been purged. Only two of those original appointees remain in their positions. This mass exodus has left the seven-seat Central Military Commission, which commands the armed forces, with only two members: General Secretary Xi Jinping and one other general.

The plenum provides a mechanism for Xi to fill these vacancies and appoint new officers to the commission. The timing is strategic, occurring one year before the Party Congress where a new central committee is formally elected. Although the Central Committee officially selects the top leadership, the selection process is opaque. The next Congress is expected to reappoint Xi as the country’s leader, a move facilitated by the earlier abolition of term limits.

The session is also designed to align the party’s strategic direction ahead of the upcoming Congress. Past plenums have been used to cement Xi’s status as the core of the party and to elevate his political philosophy to a standing comparable to that of Chairman Mao. By dictating strategy now, the leadership aims to ensure that delegates entering the next Congress are loyal and ideologically aligned.

A September readout from the 21-member Politburo stated that the plenum would adopt decisions on persistently advancing the comprehensive strict governance of the Party. This language is interpreted as a directive to ensure obedience and effectiveness among distant party officials. The location of the meeting remains unannounced, though previous sessions have been held at the Jingxi Hotel in Beijing.

Delegates face a tense atmosphere as they navigate the consequences of recent corruption allegations. Senior figures have been removed on charges ranging from financial impropriety to moral corruption. Experts view the charge of moral corruption as a tool to crack down on perceived disloyalty to Xi, as disloyalty to the party can be framed as a breach of personal morality. The plenum’s final documents will be released to the public after the session ends on Thursday.