Xi Is Purging Communist Party Officials at a Rapid Pace

Xi Jinping has further consolidated his grip on power, as a wave of purges has whittled down the ranks of China's Communist Party elite to their smallest size in decades. Figures released after a four-day party conclave in Beijing reveal that nearly a sixth of the Central Committee's 376 officials were absent, many ousted in Xi's ongoing crackdown. Attendance was the lowest since the late 1970s, with only 168 full members and 147 alternates present, down from the 205 full members and 171 alternates who began the current term in 2022, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Xi's campaign, launched in 2012 as an anti-corruption drive, has evolved into a relentless effort to remove rivals and cement loyalty. Neil Thomas, a fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, tells the Journal that Xi is purging officials at a faster pace because he faces little resistance at the top and is "free to push his vision of the party as a self-regulating institution that is capable of disciplining itself without Western-style rule of law." Last year, party authorities disciplined almost 890,000 people—a 46% jump from the prior year and the highest yearly total since data began being published two decades ago.

The purges have also swept through the military: Multiple commanders, including China's No. 2 general, were removed last week, and the Central Military Commission, led by Xi, now has just four members—down from seven at the start of the term. The plenum's main agenda was the approval of China's 15th five-year plan. A broad overview of the 2026-30 plan released on Thursday called for accelerating self-reliance in science and technology, per the AP.

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The overview didn't refer directly to President Trump's trade war, but it said China faces greater uncertainty and "profound and complex" changes, per the news agency. The communique also called for boosting domestic spending and pushing for a transition to clean energy. Xi is expected to meet Trump in South Korea next week but analysts say that since both sides believe they have the upper hand in trade negotiations, a significant breakthrough is unlikely, reports Reuters.