On August 22, 2026, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China held its sixth plenary session with 116 members in attendance, marking a record high number of absences. Only 9 members from the military sector were present, and notable among the absentees was Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Shengmin.
Zhang Shengmin, who was promoted to the rank of Vice Chairman of the Military Commission in October 2025, has been absent from several meetings of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection since then. On July 3, 2026, Zhang Shuguang was promoted to the rank of General and succeeded Zhang Shengmin as the Secretary of the Military Discipline Inspection Commission. However, Zhang Shengmin has not been publicly relieved of his duties as the Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection since stepping down as Secretary of the Military Discipline Inspection Commission. Zhang Shuguang was also not elected as the Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection during the sixth plenary session.
According to reports from X account “China Personnel Observation” based on CCTV news broadcasts, the number of military members of the Central Discipline Inspection Commission decreased from 22 to just 9 compared to previous meetings.
The 9 military members who attended the sixth plenary session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection included:
– Zhang Shuguang, Secretary of the Military Discipline Inspection Commission, Army General
– Hu Yuhai, Director of the Naval Political Work Department, Navy Rear Admiral
– Liu Xunyan, Former Secretary of the Naval Discipline Inspection Commission, Navy Rear Admiral
– Zhu Guobiao, Former Deputy Political Commissar of the Armed Police Force, Armed Police Rear Admiral
– Mo Yongcheng, Political Commissar of the Navy Logistics Department, Navy Commodore
– Ma Xuedi, Deputy Political Commissar of the Western Theater Air Force, Air Force Commodore
– Liu Jun, Former Director of the Political Work Bureau of the Equipment Development Department of the Military Commission, Air Force Commodore
– Zhang Aihua, Full-time member of the Military Commission Discipline Inspection Commission, Army Commodore
– Han Xianfeng, Former Deputy Minister of the National Defense Mobilization Department of the Military Commission and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, Air Force Commodore
CCTV news broadcasts indicated that Vice Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and Vice Chairman of the Military Commission, Zhang Shengmin, was absent from the sixth plenary session.
Based on previous CCTV reports, Zhang Shengmin, Secretary of the Military Discipline Inspection Commission, has been absent from several meetings of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection since his promotion to Vice Chairman of the Military Commission in October 2025. However, he did attend the fifth plenary session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection held in January 2026.
On July 3, 2026, Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Li Xi presided over a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, during which Zhang Shengmin was absent. On the same day, Zhang Shuguang, Secretary of the Military Discipline Inspection Commission and Director of the Military Commission Discipline Inspection Committee, and Air Force Commander Wang Gang were promoted to the rank of General, indicating that Zhang Shuguang had succeeded Zhang Shengmin as Secretary of the Military Discipline Inspection Commission.
Traditionally, the Secretary of the Military Discipline Inspection Commission also serves as the Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. However, since stepping down as Secretary of the Military Discipline Inspection Commission, Zhang Shengmin has not been publicly relieved of his duties as Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The newly appointed Secretary of the Military Discipline Inspection Commission, Zhang Shuguang, was also not elected as the Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection during the sixth plenary session.
X account “China Personnel Observation” reported based on CCTV news broadcasts that the number of military members of the Central Discipline Inspection Commission decreased from the previous meeting, with 13 military members absent from the sixth plenary session.
In addition to Zhang Shengmin, other military members absent from the sixth plenary session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection included:
– Chen Guoqiang, Former Deputy Secretary of the Military Discipline Inspection Commission and former Political Commissar of the National Defense University, Air Force Rear Admiral
– Yu Yonghong, Former Secretary of the Air Force Discipline Inspection Commission, Air Force Rear Admiral
– Leng Shaojie, Former Deputy Political Commissar of the Navy, Navy Rear Admiral
– Cheng Dongfang, Former Deputy Political Commissar of the Navy, Navy Rear Admiral
– Li Jun, Former Director of the Political Work Department of the Armed Police Force, Armed Police Rear Admiral
– Chen Jianfei, Former Secretary of Discipline Inspection of the Armed Police Force, Armed Police Rear Admiral
– Yang Xiaoxiang, Former Deputy Political Commissar of the Military Academy of Sciences, Army Rear Admiral
– Miao Wenjiang, Former Political Commissar of the Central Theater Army, Army Rear Admiral
– Lou Chunsu, Former Deputy Political Commissar and Director of the Political Work Department of the Central Theater Army, Army Rear Admiral
– Zhang Tianbao, Deputy Political Commissar of the Military Academy of Sciences, Air Force Commodore
– Wang Hongyan, Former Director of the Political Work Department of the Eastern Theater Army, Army Commodore
Among them, Air Force Rear Admiral Yu Yonghong, Air Force Commodore Zhang Tianbao, and Army Commodore Wang Hongyan attended the fifth plenary session but were absent from the sixth plenary session. The other 8 individuals had consecutively been absent from both the fifth and sixth plenary sessions.
Air Force Commodore Liu Jun, former Director of the Political Work Bureau of the Equipment Development Department of the Military Commission, was absent from the fifth plenary session but attended the sixth plenary session.
With 116 members present at the sixth plenary session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, it was the least attended meeting since the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection was established.
Initially comprising 133 members, the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection saw attendance numbers of 132 at the first plenary session (October 23, 2022), 127 at the second plenary session (January 9-10, 2023), 132 at the third plenary session (January 8-10, 2024), 131 at the fourth plenary session (January 6-8, 2025), and 120 at the fifth plenary session (January 12-14, 2026).
During the fifth plenary session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection from January 12-14, 2026, 13 members were absent, with 9 of them identified as military members. The attendance at the sixth plenary session decreased by 4 members compared to the fifth plenary session earlier in the year.