Zhang Shengmin Joins China's Politburo as Party Tightens Control

China's Communist Party promoted its last remaining general to the Politburo on Thursday.

Leaders at a four-day closed-door meeting in Bangkok elected Gen. Zhang Shengmin to the top governing body. Zhang serves as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. He also acts as deputy secretary of the CMC Commission for Discipline Inspection. The promotion restores military representation to the Politburo, which had none after President Xi Jinping purged two top generals.

The party adopted a resolution to strengthen self-governance and anti-corruption efforts. The document describes current tasks as increasingly arduous. It calls for safeguarding national sovereignty and development interests. The resolution emphasizes maintaining ideological purity and close ties with the public.

Zhang is the only member of the Central Military Commission besides Xi. The earlier removals of other senior military figures left the commission without other general officers. The plenum confirmed these personnel changes during its session.

Neil Thomas, a senior fellow at Asia Policy, noted the low attendance at the meeting. He calculated an attendance rate of 74 percent. This figure is the lowest since the era of former leader Mao Zedong. Thomas described the purges as wider than initially expected.

The meeting occurs about a year before Xi is expected to secure his fourth five-year term. The party has sustained an anti-corruption crackdown since 2012. Analysts indicate the focus now includes underperforming officials. The resolution aims to enhance the party's long-term governance capacity.

The party summary stated it must root out corruption to maintain its progressive nature. The official Xinhua News Agency reported the resolution's key points. The decisions made at this plenum will guide the party in the coming years.