Xi Jinping leads Central Committee in four-day discipline review

China's political leadership convened on Monday for a four-day closed-door meeting focused on strengthening discipline within the ruling Communist Party. The gathering, known as the fifth plenum, is designed to align officials with President Xi Jinping's directives as he pushes for greater loyalty and deepens his anticorruption efforts. The session provides a platform for Xi to shape the party's direction roughly a year before he is widely expected to secure a fourth five-year term.

The plenum marks a continuation of Xi's consolidation of power. In a speech published by state media in January, the president criticized officials he described as "two-faced," accusing them of appearing to comply with orders while inwardly resisting. He also targeted those who are "politically opportunistic" and pursue "individualism." These comments set the tone for the current discussions on party self-governance.

Participation in the meeting reflects the impact of Xi's 14-year anticorruption campaign, which has purged thousands of officials. Eight seats on the Central Committee are currently vacant, and another 15 members are under investigation. Analysts note that this year's turnout is expected to be the lowest since the death of former leader Mao Zedong in 1976. The purge has also reached the military, where five of the seven members of the Central Military Commission have been toppled.

Ruby Osman, a senior policy adviser at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, stated that the plenum is an opportunity to ensure that new generations rising through the ranks share Xi's assessment of the opportunities and risks facing China. She noted that the session allows the president to align the actions of Chinese officials with Beijing's strategic goals.

According to Xinhua news agency, the committee will review a draft policy decision on advancing "full and rigorous party self-governance." The initiative aims to make cadres more disciplined, effective, and less corrupt. Neil Thomas, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, expects the session to call for tighter scrutiny of public spending and major projects. He also anticipates increased use of technology to uncover corruption and tougher consequences for officials who fail to meet presidential priorities.

The political deliberations occur against an economic backdrop of persistently sluggish domestic spending and a protracted crisis in the property sector. Turbulent ties with the United States also weigh on the leadership's agenda. The plenum may see new appointments to the Central Military Commission, and Xi could restructure the party's control over the armed forces.

The four-day session is scheduled to conclude on Thursday. It will conclude with the adoption of the draft policy decision on party self-governance.