Senior Chinese Military Leaders Absent From Key Party Seminar, Raising Questions

Unexplained absences of top CCP and PLA officials at a Fourth Plenum-related meeting prompt scrutiny amid ongoing military anti-corruption drive.

Gen. Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, speaks at the opening of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Qingdao, China, on April 22, 2024. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Several senior Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and military officials were notably absent on Monday from the opening of a high-level political seminar tied to the CCP’s upcoming Fourth Plenum, fueling speculation among analysts amid China’s opaque political system.

According to state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV), the seminar for provincial- and ministerial-level officials related to the CCP’s 20th Central Committee Fourth Plenum opened on Jan. 20 at the Central Party School in Beijing. Chinese leader Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.

Unexplained Absences Draw Attention

CCTV reported that attendees included members of the CCP Politburo, secretaries of the Central Secretariat, vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission (CMC), senior officials of the National People’s Congress and State Council, the presidents of China’s top court and procuratorate, and senior figures from the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.