Beijing reshapes military command as 42 generals vanish from central committee

The Chinese Communist Party is holding a four-day session in Beijing to restructure its leadership and tighten internal controls before the next national congress. The Fifth Plenum began on Monday, October 26, 2026, bringing together approximately 300 members of the Central Committee. State media indicated the meeting aims to advance comprehensive strict governance of the party, a phrase officials use to signal a demand for greater obedience from regional leaders.

The timing of the gathering is strategic. It takes place one year before the next Party Congress, the event where a new central committee is appointed and national priorities are set. Because term limits were previously abolished, the next congress is expected to reappoint Xi Jinping as the country's leader. This current plenum allows him to dictate strategy and ensure delegate alignment in the lead-up to that vote.

The atmosphere inside the meeting is tense due to recent mass removals from the party's ranks. According to estimates from the Asia Society Policy Institute, only two of the 44 military members appointed to the Central Committee in 2022 remain in their positions. The remaining 42 have been purged. Allegations of corruption, including what experts call moral corruption, have been used to remove senior figures. This term is often interpreted as a mechanism to punish perceived disloyalty to Xi, as disloyalty to the party can be framed as a breach of moral standards.

The purges have drastically reduced the size of the top military leadership. The Central Military Commission, a seven-man body that controls China's armed forces, has been whittled down to just two members: Xi Jinping and one other general. The current plenum provides the opportunity for Xi to appoint new officers to fill these vacancies and solidify his control over the military establishment.

The plenum has concluded its main sessions, with the event scheduled to wrap up on Thursday, October 29, 2026. The specific location of the meeting has not been publicly announced, though past sessions have been held at the Jingxi Hotel in Beijing. While the meetings are closed-door, a summary of decisions and a detailed document are typically released to the public after the session ends.

This gathering follows a series of recent plenums where Xi has expanded his authority. Past sessions have declared him the core of the party, eliminated term limits, and elevated his personal philosophy to the same status as Chairman Mao's thought. The current agenda focuses on maintaining that grip on power while managing the fallout from the extensive cleanup of the military and party hierarchy.