Beijing, Oct 23 (PTI) China's ruling Communist Party on Thursday reaffirmed the "core" leadership of President Xi Jinping as the head of the party and the powerful military, while backing a major purge of top military officials and endorsing a new 5-year plan for a more resilient domestic market.

The announcement came after the Chinese Communist Party's 370-member-strong key body, called the plenum, met from Monday to Thursday.

It called on the party and country to unite behind Xi as it ended its four-day meeting. The 72-year-old leader is in his unprecedented third term in power, becoming the only Chinese leader after party founder Mao Zedong to do so.

The meeting also endorsed a new 5-year plan to build a more resilient domestic market and achieve greater self-reliance to ward off the impact of US President Donald Trump's tariff war and resultant global trade tensions.

At the session, a call was issued to the party, the entire military, and Chinese people of all ethnic groups to rally more closely around the Party Central Committee with Xi at its core, according to an official communique.

"All of us in the Party must acquire a deep understanding of the decisive significance of establishing Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and of establishing the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era," it said.

The plenum took place ahead of a likely meeting between Trump and Xi at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled to take place in South Korea from October 30 to November 1.

The two leaders reportedly plan on discussing the gridlock over China’s move to halt the rare-earth metals needed by the US, and Washington's move to stop semiconductor chips needed by Beijing.

The plenum also approved the sacking of number two general of the Chinese military, He Weidong, along with eight other top officials who were expelled from the military and party for corruption, violation of discipline and work-related crimes in the latest crackdown, an official statement said.  Gen He, along with Central Military Commission (CMC) member Miao Hua, were expelled from the CPC and military service.

The plenary meeting appointed Zhang Shengmin, the military's anti-graft chief, as Gen He's replacement. Zhang was promoted to the rank of Vice Chairman of the CMC, the communique said.

Xi chairs the CMC, and Gen Zhang Youxia is serving as another vice-chairman of the body, it said.

Ahead of the plenary meeting, a spokesperson of the Chinese Defence Ministry, Col. Zhang Xiaogang, said besides the two top Generals, seven former senior military officials have also been expelled from the CPC and military.

The seven expelled officials were three-star Generals holding key posts in the military.

He said investigations found that the military officials had seriously violated Party discipline and are suspected of major duty-related crimes.

Since Xi took over the leadership of the CPC in December 2012, scores of top military officials have been sacked and punished in his continuing anti-graft campaign, which critics say effectively strengthened his leadership both in the military and the party.

Last week's purge was the biggest in recent years.

The meeting, while praising the achievements of the current five-year plan, also endorsed the new 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). According to the communique, the new plan will be critical as the country works to reinforce foundations and push ahead on all fronts toward achieving socialist modernisation by 2035.

It will thus serve as a key link between the past and the future, according to the communique.

Presently, China remains in a phase of development where strategic opportunities exist alongside risks and challenges, while uncertainties and unforeseen factors are rising.

During the new plan period, the country should achieve greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology and steer the development of new, quality productive forces.

It should build a robust domestic market and work faster to foster a new pattern of development, the communique said.     The plenum met as data released on Monday showed China's economy grew at 4.8 per cent, the slowest pace this year compared to the previous quarters.

The slowdown of the world’s second-largest economy was attributed to its growing trade conflict over the tariff war initiated by Trump, blunting China’s exports to America, one of its major markets.

The data for this quarter was the weakest pace of growth since the third quarter of 2024.

The economy slowed down from a 5.2 per cent pace of growth in the previous quarter, but close to the official annual target of five per cent GDP for this year, according to the official data. PTI KJV GRS GRS GRS

Consolidation of party leadership strengthens central authority as senior military officials removed and a multi-year economic plan endorsed. The party reaffirmed the president's core leadership and the guiding role of his political thought, ordered closer unity behind the Party Central Committee, and emphasized internal consolidation. The plenum reported expulsions and removals of senior military officers for corruption and disciplinary breaches, promoted a replacement to the Central Military Commission, and signalled intensified anti graft enforcement in the armed forces. It also endorsed a new multi year plan to bolster domestic market resilience, pursue self reliance in science and technology, and accelerate development amid external trade tensions.