China’s plenum backs tighter party discipline, a priority for Xi. Here's why it matters

BEIJING (AP) — China's Communist Party leaders ended a closely watched four-day meeting this week by endorsing a core priority for President Xi Jinping : tightening internal discipline and fighting corruption. The decisions could set the stage for personnel changes in key leadership bodies next year, when Xi is expected to secure a fourth term as party leader.

The Central Committee's fifth plenum adopted a resolution Thursday on strengthening discipline and combating corruption. It also ratified the expulsions of more than 30 senior officials from the party, including one who was until early this year the army's top general , and promoted the remaining general serving on the commission that oversees China's military to the Politburo, one of the top decision-making bodies.

On Friday, party officials outlined plans to carry out the plenum's decisions, emphasizing tighter discipline.

Here's what to know and why it matters:

Xi has made loyalty and fighting corruption defining features of his government since taking power in 2012, but party officials acknowledged Friday that disciplinary violations persist.

“Problems of misconduct and breaches of discipline are persistent, entrenched and recurring,” Zhang Fuhai, deputy director of the Central Committee for Discipline Inspection, told a press briefing with other officials to discuss the plenum's decisions. “Efforts to address them require unwavering commitment over the long term.”

Zhang said disciplinary and supervisory agencies had opened 8.1 million cases and disciplined 7.9 million people since the party's 18th National Congress in 2012, when Xi became its leader. Those disciplined included 963 senior officials under the direct management of the party's central leadership.

One of the officials also made clear that punishment will continue, and it will be harsh.

“By severely punishing officials who have become corrupt, it encourages and protects those who serve with integrity,” said Huang Jianfa, deputy head of the party's Central Organization Department. "In practice, some party members and officials fail to act or are slow to act for a range of reasons: some lack motivation and are unwilling to act; others fear getting into trouble and dare not act; still others lack the skills to act effectively.”

Dongshu Liu, a professor in the department of public and international affairs at the City University of Hong Kong, said that the expulsion of senior officials “certainly reflects Xi’s new efforts to tighten control, especially over military system.”

Xi has expelled officials in the past due to doubts over their loyalty or egregious corruption, but the more recent purges suggested his frustration with officials’ lack of enthusiasm for his ambitious policy agenda, Benjamin Hillman, a professor at the Australian National University, said.

Some analysts say stricter discipline could make officials more cautious and less willing to take initiative. Beijing also wants officials to be innovative and effective, making the balance difficult to strike.

“There is a famous argument in political science called ‘competency-loyalty trade-off,’ which basically argues that you cannot have someone who is very competent but also very loyal to you,” Liu said. In his view, Xi's approach could translate to having a system “further sacrificing its meritocracy to promote people who are less competent but loyal to Xi personally, which also means the problem-solving skills is questionable.”

Harsher discipline could lead to superficial compliance, such as holding meetings, workshops and training sessions, to demonstrate loyalty without actually doing anything, Hillman said.

“Officials are increasingly cautious of trying new things because mistakes can be costly,” he said.

Ruby Osman, a senior policy adviser at London’s Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, said that Xi clearly sees corruption as the biggest threat to the party's grip on power in the long run.

“Beijing is worried not only about corrupt cadres but ineffective ones too," she said. But she cautioned that "ensuring Beijing’s priorities are actually delivered across China’s vast bureaucracy is often easier said than done.”

Leung reported from Hong Kong. Associated Press writer Huizhong Wu in Bangkok contributed to this report.