The much-delayed Fourth Plenum of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee met in Beijing from October 20-23. Of the seven plenary sessions during a CCP congress, the fourth typically focuses on strengthening the party and governance. At this meeting, the formulation of the 15th Five-Year Plan for 2026–2030, personnel appointments and policy changes took precedence over other matters.

The session heard the work report submitted by CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping, followed by a 5,000-word declaration of the plenum’s “decisions.” These are binding on all party members and influence the CCP’s and government’s major work until 2027 and beyond.

Several past plenary sessions have been trend-setting. The Fourth Plenum in 1989, for instance, removed CCP General Secretary Zhao Ziyang

See Full Page