Chinese President Xi Jinping, center left, and Zhang Shengmin, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, second from right, attend a ceremony honoring fallen national heroes at the People’s Heroes Monument to mark Martyrs’ Day in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
Ng Han Guan/AP
hide caption
Ng Han Guan/AP
BANGKOK — China’s top leaders on Thursday elevated the only remaining general from the commission that oversees the country’s military to the Politburo, the Communist Party’s top governing body.
The leaders also adopted a resolution on strengthening self-governance, discipline and fighting corruption within the party, as they seek to expand their grip on power.
During a four-day closed-door meeting, top Communist Party leaders deliberated and adopted resolutions that will guide the party in the years to come. The meeting comes about a year before President Xi Jinping wins his fourth five-year term as party leader.
The party elected General Zhang Shengmin, who is currently vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, to the Politburo. Xi had previously purged two of China’s top generals, leaving Zhang as the only member of the commission besides Xi himself. This also left the Politburo without any People’s Liberation Army representatives.
Zhang also holds a position overseeing internal discipline in the military, serving as deputy secretary of the CMC Discipline Inspection Commission.
The party said in a summary of the resolution that the tasks ahead were “increasingly arduous”, such as “uniting and leading the people to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests”.
He said he must strengthen his self-government, which means rooting out corruption and maintaining ideological purity.
The party should, “with a view to strengthening its long-term governance capacity, maintain its progressive nature and purity, as well as its close flesh and blood ties with the people,” according to a summary of the resolution from the official Xinhua news agency.
Xi has championed the fight against corruption since coming to power in 2012 and has led a crackdown on civil servants for more than a decade. However, analysts say the focus is now also extending to poorly performing civil servants.
Party members also reviewed previous purges of senior members and military officials, confirming the personnel changes.
The plenary meeting revealed broader purges than expected, according to analysis by Neil Thomas, a senior fellow at Asia Policy who studies Chinese politics. He calculated a turnout rate of 74 percent, the lowest since the days of former leader Mao Zedong, who regularly staged political purges.
Gn headline
