The Fifth Plenum of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has opened in Beijing. The four-day session will last until October 29, the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.
Party General Secretary Xi Jinping presented a report on behalf of the Politburo and put forward a draft decision on consistently strengthening the party's comprehensive and strict self-governance. The document reviews the accumulated experience, current tasks facing party construction and measures to maintain discipline.
Focus on discipline and implementation
The topic of party control is related to the ongoing campaign against corruption, but also to inspections for failure to implement the leadership's decisions. According to Xinhua, the draft should provide strategic guidance for strengthening party discipline in the current and next period.
Xi Jinping warned earlier this year against cadres who demonstrate loyalty in public but do not implement the leadership's decisions. "The message is clear: the anti-corruption campaign is not slowing down," Minda Qiu, a senior analyst at the consulting firm Yurei Group, told The Associated Press.
According to The Associated Press, the focus of the campaign is no longer just on corruption, but also on so-called formalism and bureaucracy - inaction, failure to complete tasks and actions that hinder development. Analysts expect party cadres to be required to demonstrate political loyalty, discipline and concrete results at the same time.
Possible personnel decisions
The meeting may also have a personnel dimension. Attention is focused on the positions of Central Committee members who have been removed or are under investigation, including senior military officials. The Associated Press cites estimates that a significant number of military personnel elected to the Central Committee in 2022 have already been removed or have disappeared from public view.
New appointments are possible, but analysts do not necessarily expect a final arrangement of the next leadership team at this plenum. According to Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at the University of Oriental Studies in London, quoted by the Associated Press, Xi Jinping may leave most of the personnel decisions for the party congress in 2027.
The dates and agenda of the plenum were set by the Politburo on September 21. The meeting is being held behind closed doors, and full decisions and conclusions are expected after it ends on October 29.
Sources: apnews.com, english.www.gov.cn