Key takeaways from this week's political meeting in Beijing

The Communist Party of China concluded its most significant meeting of the year, the fifth plenum, in Beijing, expelling 33 senior party members as part of leader Xi Jinping's ongoing anti-corruption campaign. Out of 376 central committee members, only 279 attended, many believed to be under investigation. The meeting focused on anti-corruption and discipline, signaling potential intentions for Xi to seek a fourth term in office next year.

Among the expelled members are former China's most senior military general, Zhang Youxia, and Liu Jianchao, a senior diplomat tipped to become the next foreign minister. The military leadership ranks have been almost completely purged in the last few years, with general Zhang Shengmin, a key player in Xi's anti-corruption campaign, promoted to the Politburo and surviving the purges.

The meeting underscored the need for party discipline and strengthening governance to maintain the Chinese Communist Party's position. Xi aims to instill the party's importance in people's lives and ensure the regime's purity. While there is no insight into Xi's potential successor at the next party congress, regular reporting from discipline inspectors is expected, which may lead to more inertia and less experimentation.