Who is Zhang Shengmin? China promotes military purge chief Xi Jinping to Politburo | Today’s news
China has promoted General Zhang Shengmin, the military official at the center of President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign in the armed forces, to the Communist Party’s Politburo, putting one of the country’s most powerful military enforcers in its top political leadership.
Read also | Xi Jinping’s unusual rest breaks sapped hours of his summit with Trump
Zhang’s appointment, announced Thursday at the end 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 prepares for a major leadership reshuffle in 2027, when the party is expected to decide whether to seek an unprecedented fourth five-year term as general secretary.
Who is Zhang Shengmin? He is 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, which is chaired by Xi. He previously served as the army’s chief anti-corruption official, overseeing investigations into senior officers accused of corruption and political disloyalty.
Read also | China’s cutest diplomats are back: Why Xi Jinping is giving America pandas
Zhang’s elevation to the Politburo gives the military a direct representative in the Communist Party’s main decision-making body, which has been left without military members since the fall of its predecessors.
According to Neil Thomas, a senior fellow who specializes in China politics at the Asia Society, Zhang is the first person since 1994 to be promoted to the Politburo outside the Party Congress.
Zhang’s appointment also underscores the influence he has gained as Xi Jinping steps up his efforts to bring the military under tighter political control.
China’s military purge leaves the high command severely depleted
The promotion comes amid an unprecedented shake-up of the senior ranks of the People’s Liberation Army.
Among the most prominent victims is Zhang Youxia, a former vice chairman of the CMC and the top military official after Xi. He was accused of disloyalty and factionalism, charges that preceded his expulsion from the Communist Party and the army.
The purge left the seven-member CMC with only two members: Xi Jinping and Zhang Shengmin.
Read also | Trump says AI will be ‘big topic’ in Xi talks, cites DOJ ‘railing’
The party’s latest communiqué also confirmed disciplinary proceedings against several other senior officials, including former Xinjiang party chief Ma Xingrui and former technology minister Jin Zhuanglong. It also confirmed the dismissal of Liu Jianchao, the former head of the Communist Party’s International Department, from the Central Committee.
Liu’s long absence from public view since August last year has fueled speculation of a disciplinary investigation. The latest announcement provides the first official confirmation that he has been investigated.
Xi Jinping tightens party discipline ahead of 2027 leadership congress
The Fifth Plenum placed particular emphasis on the enforcement of party discipline and the intensification of the anti-corruption campaign.
In its communique, the Central Committee called for stronger oversight of officials and pledged to prosecute corruption with stricter checks on the exercise of power.
The meeting also confirmed that the next National Congress of the Communist Party will be held in the second half of 2027. The meeting is expected to shape China’s political and military leadership for the next five years, with Xi Jinping widely expected to seek another term in office.
The range of disciplinary measures was staggering. A total of 34 high-ranking civilian and military figures, all regular or substitute members of the Central Committee, faced disciplinary punishment.
Read also | China expels 2 top generals from the CCP: Why is Xi Jinping cleaning the highest ranks of the PLA?
Attendance was also unusually low. Only 162 of the 205 regular members of the Central Committee and 117 substitutes participated. Analysts described the voter turnout as one of the weakest in the post-Mao era, reflecting the extent of the political upheaval.
Ten Central Committee alternates were promoted to full membership to fill the seats vacated by those who were punished.
Among the 10 promoted to full membership are high-ranking regional administrators and economic hands such as Shanxi Governor Lu Dongliang, 52, Zhejiang Governor Liu Jie, 56, Inner Mongolia Prime Minister Bao Gang, 57, and Liu Qiang, 55, party chief of Shandong capital Jinan.
