The Communist Party of China confirmed this Thursday (29) the expulsion of 33 officials. Among them is Zhang Youxia, one of the most prominent names in the country’s military hierarchy. He had already been temporarily removed in August. Another notable expulsion was Ma Xingrui, former party secretary in Xinjiang, who, like Youxia, sat on the Politburo, the CPC’s main executive body.
In a plenary session of the Central Committee, which has been taking place in Beijing since Monday (26), the group elected General Zhang Shengmin to the Politburo, head of the Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Armed Forces and vice-president of the Central Military Commission since October last year.
According to Xinhua, the plenary approved a resolution on “preservation of full and rigorous self-governance” of the party. “Adopting integrated measures to ensure that cadres do not have the audacity, opportunity, or desire to commit corruption is both an important strategy for the party’s full and rigorous governance and a fundamental guideline in the fight against corruption,” the statement said.
This year, the Communist Party of China has imposed punishments on individuals involved in corruption cases. One of them was Liu Zhenli, former head of the Joint Staff Department, who was removed in September. Also on the expulsions list is Liu Jianchao, former head of the party’s International Department, as well as Jin Zhuanglong, former minister of Industry and Information Technology.
Amid the personnel changes, the party stressed that it is necessary to pay close attention to both the symptoms and the underlying causes of corruption, in a systematic manner, punishing rigorously, acting precisely, preventing effectively, and acting in an integrated manner.
The committee also scheduled for the second half of 2027 the 21st National Congress of the party. The gathering, held every five years, serves to elect the new party leadership, and is expected to re-elect President Xi Jinping.
James Whitmore