Beijing, Oct 23: China’s ruling Communist Party on Thursday reaffirmed President Xi Jinping’s “core” leadership and endorsed a sweeping military purge while unveiling a new five-year plan aimed at building a resilient domestic market and achieving technological self-reliance.
The decisions were announced after the conclusion of the party’s four-day plenary session, attended by its 370-member Central Committee. The meeting urged the country to unite behind Xi, who is in his third consecutive term, cementing his authority as China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.
The plenum called on the party, military, and citizens “to rally closely around the Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core,” highlighting the “decisive significance” of his leadership and ideology.
Military Purge Targets Top Generals
In one of the biggest shake-ups in recent years, the Communist Party expelled nine senior military officials, including Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) He Weidong and Commission Member Miao Hua, over corruption and “serious violations of party discipline.”
Zhang Shengmin, the military’s anti-corruption chief, was promoted to replace He as the CMC’s new vice chairman. Xi continues to chair the CMC, with Gen Zhang Youxia serving as the other vice-chairman.
According to Defence Ministry spokesperson Col Zhang Xiaogang, several other three-star generals were also dismissed in the ongoing anti-graft campaign, which has removed dozens of high-ranking officers since Xi took power in 2012. Analysts say the purge consolidates Xi’s control over the military and the party’s power structure.
New Five-Year Plan for Economic Self-Reliance
The plenum also approved China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), which focuses on building a robust domestic economy, advancing science and technology self-reliance, and strengthening supply chains to counter global trade tensions—particularly those with the United States.
The plan aims to prepare China for its long-term goal of “socialist modernization by 2035”, marking a transition from export-driven growth to innovation-led development.
China’s economy grew by 4.8% in the latest quarter, its slowest pace this year, as the US-China tariff dispute and global economic headwinds weighed on exports.
Geopolitical Context
The plenum concluded ahead of a likely meeting between Xi Jinping and former US President Donald Trump at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea later this month, where trade restrictions and rare-earth exports are expected to dominate talks.
