The Chinese Communist Party’s political bureau confirmed on July 30 that the 20th Central Committee’s Fifth Plenum will be held in October, with an unusual focus on party-wide rectification. Analysts indicate that this signals a larger-scale purge within the party. The current political crisis is deemed more urgent than the economic crisis, and the Fifth Plenum might announce actions against “anti-party cliques.”
According to reports from the CCP’s official media, the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party convened a meeting on July 30, confirming the Fifth Plenum in Beijing in October. The main agenda is to report on the work of the Political Bureau to the Central Committee and to discuss “advancing comprehensive and strict governance of the Party on key issues.”
Regarding the theme of “comprehensive and strict governance of the Party” for this Fifth Plenum, Chinese affairs expert Chen Pokong told Epoch Times that these six words imply a heavy-handed approach. Xi Jinping aims to further cleanse the party and the military from within.
He stated that this is because next year the 21st National Congress will convene, and Xi Jinping seeks lifelong rule. Before that, he intends to make examples and eliminate any voices opposing him or those who have opposed him in the past.
Public records indicate that the earlier five plenums of the CCP in the 1980s mainly focused on party reform and personnel reorganization post-Cultural Revolution. Subsequent five plenums mainly discussed medium to long-term economic and social development planning (five-year plans).
Political commentator Tang Jingyuan, based in the United States, told Epoch Times that since the 1990s, each session of the CCP’s five plenums focused primarily on deliberating the next five-year plan. While the “15th Five-Year Plan” was approved earlier at the Fourth Plenum last year, this year marks the first year of its implementation, so economic issues should be a primary concern. Making “strict governance of the Party” a core issue this time suggests that the CCP may launch another “rectification” campaign internally.
He analyzed that China’s economy has been slipping into a deflationary spiral in recent years, and the CCP has exhausted almost all tactics with little economic improvement. By shifting the focus away from economic issues at the Fifth Plenum and prioritizing rectification, it underscores the severity and urgency of the internal political crisis surpassing the economic crisis.
Based on incomplete statistics from Epoch Times this year, nearly 70 members of the Central Committee elected at the 20th National Congress have been purged, accounting for approximately 18% of all members. This is the highest number and proportion of purged members in a single Central Committee since the end of the “Cultural Revolution” in 1976. The removal of three Politburo members successively represents the most significant upheaval in the Politburo’s personnel post-Cultural Revolution.
Tang Jingyuan added that apart from the three Politburo members, including He Weidong, Zhang Yuxia, and Ma Xingrui, there is a former Politburo member, Chen Xi, who is also suspected to have encountered issues.
Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Yuxia and Member of the Central Military Commission and Chief of the Joint Staff Department Liu Zhenli were suddenly announced to have fallen from grace on January 24 this year. However, there has been no further information about the handling of Zhang and Liu to date.
Zhang Yuxia has long been considered Xi’s most important ally in the military. On the day of his fall from grace, the CCP’s military newspaper published an editorial denouncing him for “seriously trampling and destroying the role of the Chairman’s responsibility system of the Military Commission” and “endangering the party’s ruling foundation,” among other charges.
Chen Pokong said that the authorities at the Fifth Plenum might release shocking announcements, possibly accusing figures like Zhang Yuxia and Liu Zhenli of being anti-party cliques. Xi Jinping intends to suggest that everyone within the Political Bureau, including current and previous high-ranking officials, has incriminating evidence against them. He retains the power to take down anyone at any time.
Tang Jingyuan noted that typically, the Zhang Yuxia case would be handled at the Fifth Plenum. After Zhang Yuxia’s incident, the CCP promptly disclosed his charges, but over the past year and a half, there has been no further news about Zhang Yuxia’s fate, in contrast to the swift handling of Ma Xingrui. It implies that there are significant controversies remaining concerning the Zhang Yuxia case.
During the Political Bureau meeting yesterday, as per usual practice, an analysis of the current economic situation was conducted to plan economic work for the latter half of the year.
The authorities emphasized the need to “pay high attention to the difficulties and challenges in economic operations,” aiming to “further expand domestic demand, optimize supply, and vigorously develop service trade” in the second half of the year and more.
Chen Pokong said that Xi Jinping appears clueless about economic issues. In reality, he doesn’t care much about the economy or people’s livelihoods. Recently, he requested officials, through Cai Qi, to establish a so-called “correct political achievement perspective,” subtly signaling to local officials that political alignment is the primary concern, and economic development is secondary. This is why China’s economy continues to falter.
Tang Jingyuan mentioned that the CCP’s further internal rectification will significantly impact economic work. “All officials will try their best to avoid being drawn into this intense political struggle. They need to consider how to align themselves and protect themselves. Xi Jinping fundamentally cannot focus on economic development and how to fulfill economic tasks.”
According to reports from CCP’s official media, on the afternoon of July 30, the Political Bureau collectively studied military themes. Xi Jinping reiterated the need to “deepen the anti-corruption struggle.”
Chen Pokong stated that Xi Jinping has a plan to address the depleting national and party treasuries by confiscating wealth accumulated through crackdowns on corrupt officials to enrich his political power. This also allows him to deceive the public and create an image of cracking down on corruption. Therefore, to an extent, he enjoys both anti-corruption efforts and corruption.
Tang Jingyuan remarked that since Xi Jinping adopted the selective anti-corruption model to eliminate political enemies, his so-called anti-corruption campaign lacks genuine anti-corruption substance. Xi Jinping uses anti-corruption to strike against his political opponents, and in turn, his opponents also use anti-corruption to target Xi’s camp. Hence, the vast majority of those purged in recent years have been affiliated with Xi’s camp.
Chen Pokong further expressed that at the 19th National Congress, Xi Jinping consolidated power, but the resulting issues within the Central Committee, Central Military Commission, and Political Bureau signify his governance failure, proving his incompetence in personnel management and understanding of people. However, to maintain his power and justify himself, he has purged his own people under the guise of anti-corruption, portraying himself as impartial while concealing his political missteps.