On January 12, 2026, Xi Jinping addressed the fifth plenary session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, urging higher standards and more concrete measures to advance full and rigorous Party self-governance while intensifying anti-corruption efforts to support the 15th Five-Year Plan.
General Secretary Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, addressed the fifth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) in Beijing on January 12, 2026. He called for advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance with higher standards and more concrete measures, confining power to an institutional cage more effectively, and pressing ahead with the anti-corruption fight with clearer understanding and stronger resolve to provide a strong guarantee for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).
Xi noted that in 2025, the CPC Central Committee intensified efforts to improve Party conduct, uphold integrity, and combat corruption, achieving notable results. He stressed maintaining a tough stance against corruption and eradicating its breeding grounds and conditions. "The fight against corruption is a major struggle that the Party cannot afford to lose, and must never lose," Xi said. The current anti-corruption situation remains grave and complex, requiring a firm stance to leave corrupt officials with no place to hide.
He urged staying attuned to new trends in corruption, innovating methods to detect and address all forms effectively, strengthening coordination among oversight mechanisms for integrated governance, and building a loyal, upright disciplinary force.
Members of the Political Bureau Standing Committee, including Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, and Ding Xuexiang, attended the meeting, presided over by Li Xi, CCDI secretary.
A day before the session, a four-episode anti-corruption documentary aired, detailing the case of former agriculture minister Tang Renjian. Tang admitted his corruption began with dining violations against the CPC's eight-point code. "My illegal acts began with dining violations," he said. Probed in May 2024, he was expelled in November 2024 and sentenced in September 2025 to death with a two-year reprieve for accepting over 268 million yuan ($38.4 million) in bribes through networks built via lavish gatherings and disguised deals.
Experts like Zhuang Deshui emphasized linking conduct issues to anti-corruption to cut sources of graft, while Ji Yaping highlighted eliminating breeding grounds through strict standards. Xi also called for deploying loyal, reliable cadres amid this year's local government overhaul, describing corruption as a 'stumbling block' to Party and national development.
