HONG KONG — China's political leaders and elites began a four-day meeting Monday to discuss strengthening the ruling Communist Party's discipline, as Chinese President Xi Jinping pushes for greater loyalty and reliability from officials while deepening his yearslong campaign against corruption.This week's closed-door gathering, known as the fifth plenum of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, comes roughly a year before Xi is widely expected to secure his fourth five-year term as the party's leader and personnel changes to key leadership bodies.Xi began the meeting by delivering a work report and speaking about a draft policy decision on advancing "full and rigorous party self-governance," according to China's official Xinhua News Agency.The policy aims to make cadres more disciplined, effective and less corrupt.While Xi has consolidated his grip on power, analysts say the plenum will offer him an opportunity to further align what Chinese officials do with what Beijing wants."The plenum is a chance to ensure the new generations rising the ranks share Xi's assessment of the opportunities and risks China faces," said Ruby Osman, a senior policy adviser at London's Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.Here's what to know about one of Beijing's most significant political meetings this year.Xi's anti-graft drive has been a defining feature of his rule since he came to power in 2012.
Purges of officials — including some viewed as his political rivals — have been carried out on a scale that led critics to argue the campaign was also used to consolidate his power.But his focus has expanded to cracking down on underperforming cadres too.In recent years, the number of officials punished for "formalism" and "bureaucratism" — misconduct such as dereliction of duty, inaction and reckless acts that seriously hinder development — has surged.Xi's policy proposals reflect his emphasis on the party's "self-revolution," a concept centered on the party re...