China ruling party says 'eliminated dangers' after 33 expelled

BEIJING: China has eradicated "serious hidden dangers" in its Communist Party and military under President Xi Jinping's leadership, a senior official said on Friday (Oct 30), a day after authorities confirmed the expulsion of a record 33 figures.

In more than a decade in charge, Xi has cracked down hard on graft, ensnaring thousands of officials and purging dozens of members of the powerful Central Committee and a string of top military brass.

As a four-day plenum of the Central Committee wrapped up on Thursday, state media confirmed 33 more dignitaries had been ejected, including former Politburo member Zhang Youxia, once China's highest-ranking general.

The plenum adopted a decision on "advancing full and rigorous governance of the party", which includes reducing corruption among cadres, state news agency Xinhua said.

Proponents say China's corruption purge promotes clean governance, but analysts have said the moves were aimed at paving the way for Xi to extend his rule at a Party Congress due in the second half of 2027.

The Central Committee, "with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core", has "eliminated serious hidden dangers within the Party, the state and the military," Zhang Fuhai, deputy secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), said on Friday.

The Party, he told reporters at a news briefing, had been guided by the sense of mission that "we would rather offend thousands than let down 1.4 billion people", referring to China's population.

China had previously removed Zhang Youxia, then the highest-ranking general, from his position following a months-long graft investigation, with his expulsion from the party confirmed on Thursday.

Ma Xingrui, a former top Xinjiang official whose ouster was also confirmed, had previously been removed from all his posts over corruption allegations, including nepotism, bribery and paying for sex.

The CCDI's Zhang Fuhai said on Friday that discipline inspection and supervisory organs in the country have punished 7.9 million people since 2012.

Efforts to weed out corruption will be "deepened", he vowed, especially in sectors "characterised by the concentration of power, large amounts of funds and rich resource".

"We will prioritise the investigation of issues where political and economic problems are intertwined, collusion between government and business, and the infiltration of capital into the political sphere," he said.

"We will thoroughly investigate new forms of corruption and hidden corruption, and routinely address misconduct and corruption affecting the public at the grassroots level," he added.

This week's meeting also saw Zhang Shengmin, who has spearheaded the anti-graft drive within the military and who serves as Xi's number two in the Central Military Commission (CMC), promoted to the Politburo, the top decision-making body.