Xi Jinping faces 42 empty military seats at final plenum session

Of the 44 military members appointed to the Central Committee in 2022, only two remain in office. This vacancy count defines the stakes of the Fifth Plenum, a four-day closed-door session that began Monday in Beijing and concludes Thursday. The gathering brings together approximately 300 Central Committee members to address what state media calls a tightening of discipline within the ruling Communist Party.

The Asia Society Policy Institute provided the specific figures on the military decimation. It calculated that 42 of the 44 officers selected in 2022 have since been removed. The purge extended to the Central Military Commission, the seven-man body that directs China's armed forces. That commission has been reduced to just two members: President Xi Jinping and one other general. The plenum serves as the mechanism for Xi to appoint new officers to these empty posts.

Xi uses these sessions to consolidate authority ahead of the next Party Congress, scheduled for late 2027. The Central Committee officially selects top leadership, but the internal processes remain secret. The next Congress will likely reappoint Xi as leader, a path cleared by the 2018 abolition of term limits. Past plenums have been used to declare Xi the core of the Party and to elevate his personal philosophy to the status of Chairman Mao's teachings.

A readout from the 21-member Politburo issued in September stated that the plenum would adopt decisions on major issues to advance the comprehensive strict governance of the Party. Officials frame this as a method to ensure obedience and effectiveness among distant party officials. Experts note that allegations of moral corruption are often used to crack down on perceived disloyalty to Xi, as disloyalty to the Party can be interpreted as a breach of morality.

The location of the meeting has not been publicly announced, though past sessions have been held at the Jingxi Hotel in Beijing. The secrecy of the plenum is standard, with detailed documents and summaries released only after the session ends. Delegates attend with a heightened sense of caution, aware that the room contains many empty chairs following the scale of recent removals.

The timing is strategic. With one year remaining until the next Party Congress, the plenum allows Xi to dictate strategy and align delegate views. The session aims to ensure loyalty before the larger gathering where a new central committee will be appointed. The outcome will set the organizational structure for the Party's leadership in the coming years.