CNA Explains: China’s fifth plenum puts party discipline centre stage. Why does it matter?

CNA Explains: China’s fifth plenum puts party discipline centre stage. Why does it matter? The key meeting, which begins Monday (Oct 26), could offer clues about Beijing’s priorities ahead of 2027, observers say. BEIJING: Top leaders of China’s ruling Communist Party will convene on Monday (Oct 26) for a key political meeting that could offer clues about Beijing’s priorities ahead of next autumn’s national congress - with party discipline taking centre stage. The fifth plenary session, or fifth plenum, will run from Oct 26 to 29. But rather than chart economic development plans, it will focus on strengthening internal party governance and discipline instead, Chinese state media has reported. The gathering comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping presses ahead with his longstanding anti-corruption campaign, amid continued scrutiny of misconduct within the Communist Party. It also puts the spotlight on how Beijing intends to tighten oversight of its vast political apparatus ahead of a crucial leadership reshuffle in 2027. So why is this fifth plenum different, what does its focus on party discipline signal, and what should observers watch for? Why is this fifth plenum different? Plenums are closed-door meetings of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, held between national party congresses to discuss and approve major policies. The Communist Party typically holds seven plenums during each five-year leadership cycle, said Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS), with different meetings serving different purposes. “The fifth plenum usually lays out priorities for the next five-year plan,” he said. But this time, the traditional sequence has changed. The fourth plenum in October 2025 already adopted recommendations for China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) - a task usually reserved for the fifth gathering. Instead, the upcoming meeting will focus on party governance, observers said. At a meeting held on Sep 21, the Politburo, the ruling party’s elite political body, confirmed that a draft decision on strengthening party self-governance would be submitted to the fifth plenum for deliberation. Hou Yichao, a researcher on China’s political economy, said plenums play an important role in turning the Party's broader political direction into concrete policies. “If the (2027) Party Congress is the meeting where strategy is set and the leadership renewed, the plenums held in between are where specific policy is hammered out over the five-year cycle,” he said. Why is party discipline taking centre stage? The fifth plenum's main agenda is strengthening what Beijing calls “full and rigorous party self-governance” - a sweeping concept that extends beyond fighting corruption to how officials are supervised, assessed and held accountable. Hou described it as “core engineering work on how power itself operates” - noting that Xi has outlined five systems underpinning strict party governance - covering organisation, education, supervision, institutions and accountability. “Together, these speak to whether directives from the centre are actually carried out, whether political education is effective, how oversight and anti-corruption work is conducted,” Hou said. They also cover whether internal party rules are effective and whether party-building requirements are implemented throughout the organisation, he added. The emphasis comes despite more than a decade of Xi’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign, which has investigated and punished officials across the party, government and military. Beijing maintains that corruption remains a serious challenge. In January, Xi warned that the situation remained “grave and complex” - calling for an unwavering fight against corruption. Chong from NUS said that party governance and discipline remain key priorities for Xi - especially against the backdrop of continued corruption investigations as well as mounting economic and demographic pressures. “Perhaps Xi believes that further changes to party self-governance (can) offer a solution,” Chong said. The focus also follows a party-wide education campaign this year aimed at fostering what Beijing calls a “correct outlook on performance”. The campaign targets problems including vanity projects, abrupt policy reversals and official inaction - reflecting concerns not only about corruption, but also about how effectively officials carry out Beijing's directives. Hou the researcher said that the campaign may be part of efforts to mobilise officials to tackle China’s development challenges, while addressing how they are assessed, promoted and held accountable. What does it signal ahead of the 2027 Party Congress? The fifth plenum comes roughly a year before the 21st National Congress, when the leadership lineup and broader political direction for the next five years will be determined. Its focus on internal discipline could offer clues to Xi's priorities as the party prepares for that transition. But the meeting is just one step in that process, rather than the final major gathering before the congress. Under the usual seven-plenum cycle, a sixth plenum could follow in 2027, while a seventh is typically held shortly before the Party Congress to make final preparations. In 2022, for example, the seventh plenum of the 19th Central Committee was held just days before the 20th Party Congress opened. For Chong, the fifth plenum's agenda nevertheless points to the continued importance Xi places on control and discipline within the party. “What would be interesting to see is if there are significant promotions in the lead up to the next Party Congress that might suggest some sort of slow leadership renewal, even if the very top does not change,” Chong said. Hou, meanwhile, pointed to Xi’s growing emphasis on “self-revolution” - the party’s efforts to continually reform, discipline and police itself. “The rhetoric has moved away from campaign-style, victory-declaring language and increasingly toward framing this as long-term and institutionalised,” he said of Xi's approach to fighting corruption. That suggests Beijing may be seeking to embed anti-corruption and internal oversight more deeply into the party's institutions, rather than relying primarily on periodic crackdowns. Hou said institutionalised anti-corruption could become a priority heading into the 21st Party Congress. What should observers watch for? Attention will turn to the communique expected at the end of the four-day meeting, as well as details of the decision on party self-governance that leaders are set to deliberate. A key question is whether Beijing unveils concrete new measures to tighten internal oversight, or largely reiterates existing commitments to discipline and anti-corruption. Hou said observers should look for new language, institutions or mechanisms that could signal how Xi intends to strengthen party governance. “I'd watch for a few signals: what new institutions take root from the 'correct outlook on performance' education campaign; any new formulations on strict party governance, including new language on anti-corruption work and new institution-building,” he said. Another potential signal would be changes to how China's powerful discipline inspection and supervisory bodies are themselves overseen, Hou added. Chong from NUS noted that enforcing tighter control across an organisation as large as the Communist Party remains a challenge - even with greater surveillance and monitoring. “Managing such a huge organisation is never easy,” he said.