China's Communist Party opens four-day Fifth Plenum focused on discipline and loyalty

China's Communist Party opened a four-day Fifth Plenum of its Central Committee this week, and Xi Jinping delivered a work report and introduced a draft document, Xinhua said. State media said the meeting would focus on advancing the party's full and rigorous self-governance, a term that signals discipline, loyalty and anti-corruption work. Xi has run an anti-corruption drive since taking power in 2012. Last year, disciplinary authorities opened investigations into more than 1 million people, including more than 100 officials at or above ministerial or provincial level. The meeting comes ahead of a 2027 Party Congress, where Xi is widely expected to keep the top job for another five years. China-watchers expect a new generation of officials to rise as the party refills ranks thinned by the crackdown. Official media say adherence to the party's leadership under Xi is key to the country's success.

Right-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing; left-leaning and alternative outlets had. The Guardian, the left-leaning outlet, leads with scrutiny of the crackdown. It gives the investigation figures, notes that probes nearly always end in conviction, and asks whether targets are truly guilty or political rivals. It quotes Kerry Brown of King's College London's Lau China Institute on Xi's focus on discipline and loyalty. The alternative outlets take different angles. Semafor stresses the secrecy of the meeting and what it means for Xi's new term and generational turnover. The South China Morning Post relays state media's defence of the crackdown, citing lavish dining, illicit gifts and vanity projects.