Who is Zhang Shengmin? China promotes Xi Jinping's military purge chief to Politburo

China has promoted General Zhang Shengmin, the key enforcer of Xi Jinping's military anti-corruption purge, to the Politburo ahead of the 2027 party congress.

China has elevated General Zhang Shengmin, the military official at the centre of President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign in the armed forces, to the Communist Party’s Politburo, placing one of the country’s most powerful military enforcers in its top political leadership.

Zhang’s appointment, announced on Thursday at the conclusion of a four-day meeting of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, makes him the only military representative in the Politburo.

The move comes as Xi Jinping prepares for a major leadership reshuffle in 2027, when the party is expected to decide whether he will seek an unprecedented fourth five-year term as general secretary.

Who is Zhang Shengmin? Xi Jinping’s key military anti-corruption enforcer

Zhang Shengmin is the vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the body responsible for commanding China's armed forces and chaired by Xi. He previously served as the military’s leading anti-corruption official, overseeing investigations into senior officers accused of corruption and political disloyalty.

Zhang's elevation to the Politburo gives the military a direct representative in the Communist Party’s principal decision-making body, which had been left without military members after the downfall of its previous representatives.

According to Neil Thomas, a senior fellow specialising in Chinese politics at the Asia Society, Zhang is the first person to have been promoted to the Politburo outside a party congress since 1994.

Zhang's appointment also highlights the influence he has acquired as Xi Jinping intensifies his efforts to bring the military under tighter political control.

China's military purge leaves top command severely depleted

The promotion comes against the backdrop of an unprecedented shake-up of the People's Liberation Army's senior ranks.

Among the most prominent casualties is Zhang Youxia, formerly the CMC's vice-chairman and the military's highest-ranking official after Xi. He has been accused of disloyalty and forming factions, allegations that preceded his expulsion from the Communist Party and military.

The purge has left the seven-member CMC with just two members: Xi Jinping and Zhang Shengmin.

The party's latest communiqué also confirmed disciplinary action against several other senior officials, including former Xinjiang party chief Ma Xingrui and former technology minister Jin Zhuanglong. It also confirmed the removal of Liu Jianchao, the former head of the Communist Party's International Department, from the Central Committee.

Liu's prolonged absence from public view since August last year had fuelled speculation about a disciplinary investigation. The latest announcement provides the first official confirmation that he was under investigation.

Xi Jinping tightens party discipline ahead of 2027 leadership congress

The fifth plenum placed particular emphasis on enforcing party discipline and intensifying the campaign against corruption.

In its communiqué, the Central Committee called for stronger oversight of officials and pledged to pursue corruption through stricter controls on the exercise of power.

The meeting also confirmed that the Communist Party's next national congress would take place in the second half of 2027. The gathering is expected to shape China's political and military leadership for the next five years, with Xi widely expected to seek another term.

The scale of disciplinary action was striking. A total of 34 senior civilian and military figures, all full or alternate members of the Central Committee, faced disciplinary penalties.

Attendance was also unusually low. Only 162 of the Central Committee's 205 full members attended, alongside 117 alternate members. Analysts described the turnout as among the weakest in the post-Mao era, reflecting the extent of the political upheaval.

Ten alternate members of the Central Committee have been elevated to full membership to fill seats left vacant by those who have been punished.

The 10 elevated to full membership include high-profile regional administrators and economic hands, such as Shanxi governor Lu Dongliang, 52, Zhejiang governor Liu Jie, 56, Inner Mongolia’s government chairman Bao Gang, 57, and Liu Qiang, 55, party chief of Shandong’s capital Jinan.