Xi Jinping's Fifth Plenum Focuses on Party Discipline and Corruption

China's Communist Party leadership begins a major five-day meeting on Monday to address internal discipline and loyalty.

The gathering, known as the fifth plenum, will bring together more than 300 members of the Central Committee. Chinese state media says the session will tackle major issues regarding the party's full and rigorous self-governance.

In party terminology, governance refers to the enforcement of rules, loyalty, and anti-corruption efforts. Analysts note that concerns over lax discipline are driving current discussions within the leadership.

Xi Jinping launched a campaign to eliminate corruption when he took power in 2012. The effort has expanded over the last decade. Last year, disciplinary authorities opened investigations into more than 1 million people. This group included more than 100 officials at or above the ministerial or provincial level.

Because these investigations frequently lead to conviction, observers question whether targets are guilty of misconduct or political rivals. Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King's College London, argues that Xi views corruption and political disloyalty as inseparable. Brown stated, "If you're corrupt, you're not politically loyal. If you're politically loyal, you're not corrupt." He added that the party defines corruption to include spiritual corruption, which covers political disloyalty.

Neil Thomas, a senior fellow at the Asia Society thinktank, said the campaign endures because corruption is inherent in a top-down system governing 1.4 billion people. Thomas believes Xi has strengthened his control but knows that harsher punishment alone cannot stop officials from prioritizing personal interests. Thomas views the anti-corruption drive as a permanent method of governing that has no defined endpoint.

This plenum is the fifth of seven meetings in the current five-year cycle. It carries extra weight because it is likely the last substantive meeting before the 21st Party Congress next year. At that congress, a new Central Committee will be selected, and Xi is expected to secure a fourth term as party head.

The focus on discipline comes after recent high-profile investigations of senior figures. In January, Zhang Youxia, China's top general, was placed under investigation. He was expelled from the party in September after being removed from the Central Military Commission. The commission, which normally has seven members, now consists of only two: Xi and Zhang Shengmin, its head of discipline. Recent targets also include Ma Xingrui, the former party secretary for Xinjiang, and Huang Qifan, the former mayor of Chongqing. Huang had previously survived the scandal involving Bo Xilai, who is serving a life sentence for bribery and embezzlement. Brown suggested that these purges demonstrate who is in charge and serve as a natural tool to enforce unity.