fredag 30. oktober 2026

China elevates a military general to the Politburo and seeks to strengthen party discipline

China’s top leaders on Thursday elevated the only remaining general on the commission that oversees the country’s military to the Politburo, the top governing body of the Communist Party.  The leaders also adopted a resolution on strengthening self-governance, discipline and anti-corruption in the party, as they seek to extend their grip on power.

During a four-day closed-door meeting, top Communist Party leaders deliberated on and adopted resolutions that will guide the party in the coming years. The meeting comes about a year before President Xi Jinping is widely expected to secure his fourth five-year term as the party’s leader.

The party elected Gen. Zhang Shengmin, who currently serves as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, to the Politburo. Xi had earlier purged two of China’s top generals, leaving Zhang as the commission’s only member besides Xi himself. It also left the Politburo without any representatives from the People’s Liberation Army until Zhang’s elevation.