The Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee concluded in Beijing today. Scholars analyzed that Zhang Shengmin was elected as a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, breaking the record of not adding a member of the Political Bureau at a plenary session of the Central Committee since 1994. This is a realistic necessity and is intended to appease the military.
Zhang Wuyue, chief consultant of the Cross-Strait Relations Research Center of Tamkang University, told the Central News Agency that the communique of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China announced that the 21st National Congress will be held in the second half of 2027. It is estimated that if there are no surprises, the Sixth Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China will be held immediately after the 21st National Congress, and there will be no Seventh Plenary Session of the Central Committee.
Zhang Wuyue emphasized that the fight against corruption will continue. He said that the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China emphasized that "the key to comprehensively and strictly governing the party is to strictly govern officials." Checking whether there is corruption will only be a "basic requirement." The more important demands are political loyalty and political discipline. "Before the 21st National Congress, we will continue to fight against (corruption) and we will continue to strictly govern the party."
Zhang Shengmin, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, was co-opted as a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Zhang Wuyue explained that it was wrong to say that the vacancies in the Political Bureau of the Central Committee would be filled. After 1994, the CCP has not added members to the Political Bureau of the Central Committee at any plenary session of the Central Committee. Zhang Shengmin broke the record and is in line with reality.
He said that it was important to co-elect Zhang Shengmin as a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. After the military was reorganized, there was a situation where there were no military representatives in the Politburo. In order to meet practical needs, Zhang Shengmin must be co-elected as a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Zhang Shengmin broke the record of not co-opting a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee at the Central Plenary Session since 1994.
Zhang Wuyue mentioned that the communiqué emphasized at the end that "the whole party will unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core" and other words, which show that the anti-corruption and other rectification actions highlight the unique status of CCP leader Xi Jinping and the stability of his power base. Xi Jinping's re-election at the 21st National Congress of the Communist Party of China is inevitable and normal, unless he has a physical condition.
Jie Zhong, an associate researcher appointed by the National Defense Strategy and Resources Institute of the National Defense Security Research Institute, explained to the Central News Agency that after He Weidong and Zhang Youxia were dismissed one after another, there was no military representative in the Political Bureau of the Central Committee. Zhang Shengmin was co-opted as a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, which reflects that the military should have a certain seat and should also appease the military to a certain extent.
Jie Zhong pointed out that he was initially concerned about whether General Zhang Shuguang, secretary of the Central Military Commission's Disciplinary Inspection Commission, would join the Central Military Commission, but the result was "no." He speculated that the reason was that Xi was wary of Zhang Shengmin becoming powerful. Zhang Shuguang is an old subordinate of Zhang Shengmin, and they have a deep relationship with each other. After the purge of high-level military officials, Xi Jinping paid more attention to preventing one person from gaining influence.
The communiqué of the meeting pointed out "strengthening the modernization of national defense and the army." Jie Zhong believed that this was a gesture made by Xi, indicating that after the military purge, the army would still be given sufficient resources to enhance its military strength, and the army building plan would continue to be promoted. It has the effect of appeasing the army, and also has the intention of telling the international community.
Before Zhang Shengmin, the previous case of adding a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee at the Central Plenary Session was Huang Ju. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 14th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was held in Beijing from September 25 to 28, 1994. The meeting communiqué stated that Huang Ju was elected as a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee; Huang Ju served as Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee from September 1994 to October 2002.
