Beijing, Oct 23 – China’s ruling Communist Party has reaffirmed President Xi Jinping’s “core” leadership as the head of the party and military, while endorsing a significant purge of high-ranking military officials and a new 5-year plan aimed at strengthening the domestic market. This announcement followed a four-day meeting of the Communist Party’s 370-member key body, known as the plenum.

During the plenum, the party emphasized the need for unity behind Xi, who is currently in his unprecedented third term, making him the only leader since Mao Zedong to achieve such a status. The meeting concluded with a call for the party, military, and all ethnic groups in China to rally around the Party Central Committee, with Xi at its core. An official communique highlighted the importance of recognizing Xi Jinping’s core position within the party and the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

The plenum also approved a new 5-year plan focused on building a more resilient domestic market and achieving self-reliance to mitigate the effects of the ongoing trade tensions with the United States, particularly in light of US President Donald Trump’s tariff policies. The plan aims to bolster China’s economy against external pressures and enhance its technological capabilities.

In a significant development, the plenum sanctioned the dismissal of General He Weidong, the military’s number two official, along with eight other senior military officials, due to corruption and violations of party discipline. This marks a continuation of Xi’s anti-graft campaign, which has seen numerous military officials expelled since he assumed leadership in December 2012. The military’s anti-graft chief, Zhang Shengmin, has been appointed as General He’s successor.

The meeting also addressed the expulsion of seven additional former senior military officials, all of whom were three-star generals. Investigations revealed serious violations of party discipline and potential duty-related crimes among these officials.

The plenum’s discussions occurred ahead of a potential meeting between Xi and Trump at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea from October 30 to November 1, where they are expected to address ongoing trade disputes, including China’s restrictions on rare-earth metals and US limitations on semiconductor chips.

While the plenum praised the achievements of the current five-year plan, it also endorsed the new 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which aims to reinforce the foundations for achieving socialist modernization by 2035. The plan is seen as a crucial link between past and future strategies, emphasizing the need for greater self-reliance in science and technology and the development of a robust domestic market.

Recent economic data revealed that China’s economy grew at a rate of 4.8 percent, the slowest pace this year, attributed to the escalating trade conflict with the US, which has adversely affected China’s exports. This growth rate is the weakest since the third quarter of 2024, reflecting a decline from the previous quarter’s growth of 5.2 percent, yet remains close to the official annual GDP target of five percent for the year.