China's Communist Party opens fifth plenum with discipline and loyalty high on agenda

China's Communist Party began its fifth plenum on Monday, October 26, 2026, according to the Guardian, which cited Chinese state media. The state media said the meeting is set to focus on "major issues on advancing the party's full and rigorous self-governance." The Guardian reports that in party language, "governance" is closely tied to discipline, loyalty and anti-corruption.

The plenum brings together more than 300 Central Committee members. The Guardian describes it as likely the last substantive meeting before the 21st Party Congress next year, where a new Central Committee will be chosen and Xi Jinping is expected to be given a fourth term as party head. The article says China's disciplinary authorities opened investigations last year into more than 1 million people, including more than 100 officials at or above ministerial or provincial level.

The meeting comes amid a series of high-profile removals. The Guardian reports that Zhang Youxia, China's top general, was placed under investigation in January and expelled from the party last month after being removed from the Central Military Commission. The commission, which normally has seven members, is now reported to have two: Xi and Zhang Shengmin, its head of discipline. Former Xinjiang party secretary Ma Xingrui and former Chongqing mayor Huang Qifan are also cited as recent cases.

Analysts quoted by the Guardian disagree on how to read the campaign. Kerry Brown of King's College London said that in Xi's worldview, corruption and political disloyalty are closely linked. Neil Thomas of the Asia Society said tougher punishment cannot fully resolve officials placing their own interests first. The article notes that investigations nearly always end in conviction, which raises questions about whether some targets are political rivals. The Guardian does not establish the guilt or motives of any named official, and the plenum's outcomes have not yet been reported in the source.