China expels 33 Communist Party officials, including top military leader

The Chinese Communist Party has expelled 33 officials from its ranks, including Zhang Youxia, who held the position of the country's second-highest military official, and Ma Xingrui, the former party chief of Xinjiang province, in the largest purge of its kind during the fifth plenary session of the Central Committee, according to the UK’s Guardian newspaper.

The official announcement of the expulsions was made in the closing statement of the Central Committee’s fifth political meeting, as part of a sweeping anti-corruption campaign led by President Xi Jinping that has targeted senior figures in both the political and military spheres.

The process unfolded in two phases: the first involved the actual removal and secret detention of officials, while the second saw the collective confirmation of expulsions and their official announcement during the meeting, according to the report.

Zhang Youxia was the most prominent military figure affected, having previously served as the second-ranking official in China’s military hierarchy. The list also included Ma Xingrui, who formerly served as party secretary in Xinjiang.

Amid the campaign, Xi Jinping said the party must root out “sick trees” from its ranks, describing the fight against corruption as a “never-ending journey,” according to the Guardian, which linked the expulsions to the widening scope of the campaign targeting top party and military officials.