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Xi’s Fifth Plenum Signals Crackdown on Party Disloyalty

By Drooid · Oct 29, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

President Xi Jinping opened the fifth plenum to tighten party discipline.
About 300 Central Committee members attended, leaving roughly 23% of seats empty.
Eight seats are vacant and 15 members are under investigation.
Xi warned in January against “two-faced” officials who outwardly obey but secretly resist.
Analysts say the plenum prepares Xi for a fourth term at the 2027 Congress.

History

From 8-14 November 2012 the 18th National Congress in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People elected Xi Jinping as General Secretary and reduced the Politburo Standing Committee to seven members, appointing a new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The current fifth plenum, convened by the same Central Committee, reflects the ongoing effort to tighten party discipline.

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From 8-14 November 2012 the 18th National Congress in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People elected Xi Jinping as General Secretary and reduced the Politburo Standing Committee to seven members, appointing a new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The current fifth plenum, convened by the same Central Committee, reflects the ongoing effort to tighten party discipline.

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