China expels a record number from Communist party amid Xi’s intensified purges of top officials

<p>The unprecedented number of empty seats at the fifth plenum – a symbol of expulsions – serve as a symbol for the scale of the purges under Xi Jinping</p><p>China expelled a record number of officials from the Chinese Communist party (CCP) as it concluded a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/26/xi-jinping-corruption-crackdown-china-fifth-plenum">major political gathering</a>, which saw an unprecedented number of empty seats indicating the scale of the purges under Xi Jinping.</p><p>A record 33 members were expelled at this week’s fifth plenum, a gathering of top officials that takes place roughly once a year.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/30/china-expels-record-number-communist-party-xi-jinping-purges-officials-fifth-plenum">Continue reading...</a>

Reporting by The Guardian World. This summary comes from the cited outlet and will be updated as verified details arrive.