China's Communist Party Opens Fifth Plenum as Xi's Corruption Drive Continues
China's Communist Party begins its fifth plenum on Monday, according to Chinese state media, with the agenda centred on major issues concerning the party's full and rigorous self-governance. A plenum is a full meeting of the party's Central Committee, the body of more than 300 senior members that gathers during each five-year cycle. The session comes as President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign, which has lasted more than a decade, remains a central feature of his rule.
Xi came to power in 2012 pledging to stamp out corruption through the ranks of the party. According to the Guardian, China's disciplinary authorities opened investigations into more than 1 million people last year. Those cases included more than 100 officials at or above ministerial or provincial level, and investigations of this kind nearly always end in a conviction. Xi has said that corruption remains widespread and prone to recurring within the party, the South China Morning Post reported.
The fifth plenum is one of seven such gatherings held in each five-year cycle between party congresses. In September, a party leadership meeting decided that the session would be held in October, Xinhua reported. The Guardian notes that it is likely to be the last substantive meeting before the 21st Party Congress next year, where a new Central Committee will be chosen and Xi is expected to be selected for a fourth term as head of the party.
The campaign has also reached the armed forces. Xi has said the military must be loyal to the Communist Party and root out corruption, Reuters reported. In September, China expelled two of its most senior generals, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, from the party and the military, alleging disloyalty and corruption. Earlier, Zhang Shengmin, who had led the military's anti-corruption work, was promoted to the post of China's number two general, replacing He Weidong, who had been purged.
In January, Reuters described the investigation into one of China's top generals as taking the purge into Xi's innermost circle.
