Xinhua said in a communique on October 29 that the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China met in Beijing from October 26 to 29. The session adopted a decision on party building and handled personnel matters including an added Politburo member and alternate promotions.
According to the communique Xinhua released on the afternoon of October 29, the Fifth Plenum of the 20th Central Committee ran from October 26 to 29 in Beijing. It was attended by 162 Central Committee members and 117 alternate members, with members of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and other officials sitting in. The communique said the Politburo presided and General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech. The decision to convene the meeting had been announced after a Politburo meeting on September 21.
광고 문의 · 300×250What was on the agenda
The communique said the plenum heard and discussed a work report delivered by Xi on behalf of the Politburo and adopted a decision on persistently advancing several major issues in comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. Xi also explained the draft to the session. It praised the Politburo's work since the Fourth Plenum, judging that the 14th Five-Year Plan period ended successfully and the 15th Five-Year Plan has begun well.
The communique highly rated the results of strict Party governance in the new era and said the Party continues to face long-term ‘four tests’ and ‘four dangers’. It set out directions including putting political building first, keeping a strict tone, implementing democratic centralism, managing officials, improving conduct, and strengthening intra-Party regulations and oversight. Xinhua added that the session arranged study and education on a correct view of performance and will mark the 105th anniversary of the Party's founding.
Personnel, discipline and next steps
On personnel, the communique said Zhang Shengmin was added to the Politburo and ten alternate members were promoted to full members. The session also approved review reports from the discipline commission and the Central Military Commission on 18 and 16 people respectively for serious violations of discipline and law, and confirmed expulsion from the Party for 33 of them. The communique did not detail individual cases, and this paper could not verify specifics beyond it.
The communique also said the 21st National Congress will be held in Beijing in the second half of 2027. Taiwan's Liberty Times highlighted the number of expulsions in its coverage of the closing, and Korean outlets cited the same communique. Beijing presents the measures as part of Party building, and this paper reports only what has been officially announced.