Chinese Communist Party replaces 11 Central Committee members in largest purge since 2017

China's ruling Communist Party replaced 11 members in its Central Committee at a key meeting, marking the largest personnel turnover since 2017 amid an ongoing military anti-corruption purge. Veteran General Zhang Shengmin was promoted to second-ranked vice chair of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), replacing He Weidong, who was expelled on corruption charges alongside eight other People's Liberation Army generals. He Weidong's removal is notable as the first expulsion of a sitting general on the CMC since the Cultural Revolution and reflects President Xi Jinping's continued anti-corruption campaign that began after he took power in 2012. The meeting, known as the Fourth Plenum, also discussed a forthcoming five-year economic development plan and was attended by hundreds of Central Committee members. Several of the expelled generals were close associates of Xi, and some investigations had not been previously disclosed. This reshuffle highlights the party's ongoing efforts to consolidate control and enforce discipline within the military and government bodies.