China Elevates Military General to Politburo Amid Strengthened Party Discipline Drive

BANGKOK — China’s top leaders on Thursday elevated the sole remaining general on the commission overseeing the country’s military to the Politburo, the Communist Party’s highest governing body.

The leadership also adopted a resolution focused on strengthening internal governance, party discipline, and anti-corruption efforts as they seek to extend their grip on power.

During a four-day closed-door meeting, senior Communist Party leaders deliberated on and adopted resolutions that will guide the party in the coming years. The session comes roughly one year before President Xi Jinping is widely expected to secure a 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.

The party said in a summary of the resolution that the tasks facing it were “increasingly arduous,” such as “uniting and leading the people to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests.”

It said it must step up its self-governance, which involves rooting out corruption and maintaining ideological purity.

The party should “with an eye on enhancing its long-term governance capacity, maintain its progressive nature and purity, and its close, flesh-and-blood ties with the people,” according to a summary of the resolution from the official Xinhua News Agency. “The Party must remain unswerving in its commitment to a rigorous tone, improve the system for full and rigorous self-governance.”

Xi has championed anti-corruption since coming to power in 2012, and has sustained a crackdown on officials for more than a decade. However, analysts say the focus now also includes underperforming officials.

Party members also reviewed the earlier purges of top members and military officials, confirming the personnel changes.

Zhang also holds a position overseeing internal discipline for the military, serving as deputy secretary of the CMC Commission for Discipline Inspection.

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