The Fifth Plenary Session of the CPC Central Committee concluded: the number of members present decreased by a quarter compared with the beginning of this term. Zhang Shengmin was rarely co-opted into the Politburo.

The Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (Fifth Plenary Session) concluded in Beijing on Thursday (October 29). According to the official communique of the meeting, the plenary session adopted the "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Major Issues on Persistently Promoting Comprehensive and Strict Governance of the Party" and elected Zhang Shengmin, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, as a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee.

A total of 162 Central Committee members and 117 alternate Central Committee members attended this plenary session, totaling 279 people, 36 fewer than last year’s Fourth Plenary Session. The 20th Party Congress will elect 205 Central Committee members and 171 alternate Central Committee members in 2022, totaling 376 people. The attendance this time is about 74%.

The plenary session also confirmed the previous sanctions of expulsion from the party by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to 33 senior party, government and military officials, including Ma Xingrui, Zhang Youxia, Liu Zhenli, Lan Tianli and Liu Jianchao. It also confirmed that Li Yunze had been dismissed from his party position.

The meeting also decided that the 21st National Congress of the Communist Party of China will be held in Beijing in the second half of 2027. One year before the top-level change, the plenary session not only dealt with personnel and discipline issues, but also made arrangements for cadre selection, intra-party supervision and anti-corruption work.

Zhang Shengmin joined the Politburo and was co-opted for re-election in 2032

Zhang Shengmin, 68, has long served in the military's political work and disciplinary inspection and supervision systems. He was once the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of the Central Military Commission. In October last year, he was co-opted as Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. This time he was co-opted as a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

A resume released by Xinhua News Agency after the closing of the plenary session showed that Zhang Shengmin was born in August 1958, a Shaanxi martial arts native. He joined the army in 1978. He is now a general of the Rocket Force and concurrently serves as deputy secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

His promotion coincided with a spate of disciplinary actions against top military brass. There are seven members of the leadership team of the Central Military Commission confirmed by the First Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 2022. Last year, the Fourth Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China confirmed the expulsion of He Weidong, Miao Hua and others from the party. This year, the Fifth Plenary Session of the Central Military Commission confirmed the punishment of Zhang Youxia, Liu Zhenli and others. Among these seven people, only Chairman Xi Jinping and Vice Chairman Zhang Shengmin of the Military Commission are still in office. The communiqué did not announce the addition of other members of the Central Military Commission.

There is precedent in the history of the CCP for electing additional members of the Politburo midway through the term of the Central Committee, but it has been rare in recent years. The last time was in September 1994, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 14th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China co-opted then Shanghai Mayor Huang Ju as a member of the Political Bureau, and he subsequently took over as Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee. Zhang Shengmin was co-opted this time after 32 years. Earlier in 1985, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 12th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China elected six people, including Tian Jiyun, Qiao Shi, and Li Peng, to the Politburo. Although Xu Caihou was promoted to Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission at the Plenary Session in 2004, he did not enter the Politburo until the election in 2007.

The number of attendees decreased, and the punishment of 34 people was confirmed

It is worth noting that according to Xinhua News Agency, a total of 162 Central Committee members and 117 alternate Central Committee members attended the plenary session, totaling 279 people. Compared with the 168 Central Committee members and 147 alternate Central Committee members at the Fourth Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 2025, there are a total of 36 fewer members.

When the 20th National Congress is held in 2022, the Central Committee will have 205 members and 171 alternate members, for a total of 376 people. Subsequent plenary sessions will deal with some Central Committee members and replace some alternate members as new Central Committee members. Until the Fifth Plenary Session, a total of 279 people attended. The number of attendees this time accounted for about 74% of the number at the beginning of this term. In other words, it was more than a quarter less than the original quota.

In terms of disciplinary sanctions, the plenary session reviewed and approved the review report of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on 18 people and the review report of the Central Military Commission on 16 people, involving a total of 34 people. Thirty-three of them were expelled from the party, and Li Yunze was dismissed from his party positions.

The communiqué clearly stated that these were sanctions that had been previously imposed by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and that the plenary session confirmed them this time. This does not mean that the above-mentioned persons were investigated for the first time during the session.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission reported on October 27 that from January to September this year, disciplinary inspection and supervision agencies nationwide filed a total of 800,000 cases, including 73 cadres at the provincial or ministerial level and above. A total of 680,000 people were punished during the same period, including 105 cadres at the provincial or ministerial level and above.

Andrew Wedeman, a professor of political science at Georgia State University in the United States who has long studied Chinese politics and the anti-corruption movement, previously pointed out in an interview with BBC Chinese: "The anti-corruption campaign launched by Xi Jinping has lasted for more than ten years. Not only has it not stopped, it has intensified in recent years."

Strictly governing the party and "not daring to act"

Comprehensive and strict governance of the party is the theme of this plenary session. The communiqué proposes to maintain a high-pressure stance in punishing corruption, and at the same time deploy cadre management, organizational building, intra-party regulations, supervision systems, and party management and governance responsibilities. The content does not only involve case investigation and handling.

One of the prominent political statements is a special paragraph in the communiqué explaining "Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building", positioning it as an important part of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and requiring in-depth study and implementation.

This is not the first time this formulation has appeared. The National Party Building Work Symposium in June this year has made arrangements for study and implementation, and the Fifth Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China included it into the overall requirements of the plenary session communiqué.

Regarding how leading cadres exercise their power, the communiqué requires the strict implementation of the rules of procedure for decision-making of the leadership team, standardizes the performance of duties and powers of "top leaders", and proposes to strengthen system execution and "vigorously break hidden rules." These requirements are also linked to transition arrangements. The communiqué proposed that in conjunction with the change of office, new members of the leadership team, especially the "top leaders", should be trained on the concept of political performance, requiring them to "achieve political achievements for the people and achieve political achievements through hard work."

An article published by the China Analysis Center of the Asia Society Policy Institute before the meeting pointed out that a core issue faced by strict party governance is how to make officials at all levels obey the central government's requirements while effectively governing.