2026-10-31 18:24:53Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Chinese President Xi Jinping has further strengthened control over the Communist Party, promoting General Zhang Shengmin, who has led investigations into corruption in the military, to the Politburo.

His appointment is considered unusual, as members of this top governing body are usually elected during the party's five-yearly congresses, but Xi has decided not to wait until 2027 to reward the general.

The decision comes at a time when the Communist Party is undergoing a wide-ranging wave of purges, with 97 names removed from the list of 376 Central Committee members elected in 2020.

Most of them have been hit by Xi's anti-corruption campaign, while others are suspected of losing their positions due to lack of loyalty to the president's line. Among the figures who have been removed are General Zhang Youxia, Xi's former deputy on the Central Military Commission, and Zhong Shaojun, one of the people considered close to the president.

During the four-day Central Committee meeting, one of the main messages was strengthening internal discipline and fighting corruption. In the final statement, the party stressed that it must constantly correct its behavior and that no one should dare to be corrupt or engage in such practices.

Meanwhile, four new figures have also been promoted to the Central Committee, including two provincial leaders and two former bankers, who are considered part of the new generation of the Chinese political elite.

The anti-corruption campaign launched by Xi since he came to power in 2012 has punished more than seven million leaders, officials and civil servants. In 2025 alone, 983,000 party cadres were sanctioned, according to data from the Discipline Commission. However, Beijing acknowledges that the fight against corruption and bureaucratic degradation remains a long and complex challenge.


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