China Elevates Sole Military General to Politburo

General Zhang Shengmin, a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, was elected to the Communist Party's Politburo on Thursday. This decision marks the end of a four-day closed-door session in Beijing. Zhang is the only general remaining on the military commission after President Xi Jinping removed two top commanders earlier in the year. Those removals left Zhang as the sole representative of the People's Liberation Army on the commission alongside Xi. The previous purges also meant the Politburo had no direct military representation.

Zhang holds a secondary role in enforcing military discipline. He serves as deputy secretary of the CMC Commission for Discipline Inspection, an office that oversees internal conduct within the armed forces. The promotion places him in the party's top governing body while he retains this supervisory position.

Leaders at the meeting adopted a resolution to strengthen self-governance and anti-corruption measures within the party. The text describes the tasks ahead as increasingly arduous. It cites the need to unite the people to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests. The resolution emphasizes rooting out corruption and maintaining ideological purity as central to the party's long-term governance capacity. Xinhua News Agency quoted the document as stating the party must maintain its close ties with the people.

The timing of the plenum occurs roughly one year before Xi is widely expected to secure a fourth five-year term as party leader. The resolutions aim to guide the party's direction in the coming years. Participants also reviewed the earlier purges of senior party members and military officials, confirming the resulting personnel changes.

Neil Thomas, a senior fellow at Asia Policy who studies Chinese politics, analyzed the attendance figures from the meeting. He calculated a 74 percent attendance rate, the lowest since the era of former leader Mao Zedong. Thomas suggested the low attendance indicates the purges were broader than many observers had anticipated. Xi has sustained a crackdown on officials for more than a decade since taking power in 2012. Analysts note the current focus extends to officials who underperform in their roles.

The plenum concluded with the adoption of the new personnel and disciplinary guidelines. The next major party meeting is scheduled for 2027.