More than half of the members elected to the CPC Central Committee have been moved to different positions.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) is undergoing a major reshuffle, signalling a political power-shift that is likely to benefit President Xi Jinping.
More than half of the members elected to the CPC Central Committee during the 18th National Congress in 2012 have been moved to different positions or were removed from their current jobs ahead of the Party’s fifth plenary session that began on Monday.
The state-run tabloid Global Times, quoting observers, reported that the ongoing anti-graft campaign and the need to turnaround a slowing economy under the country’s thirteenth five-year plan may have contributed to the rare large-scale reshuffle.
The reshuffle will also pave the way for a smooth government leadership transition starting from 2016, said Ren Jianming, professor at the School of Public Policy and Management at Beijing’s Tsinghua University.
A WeChat account operated by the Party newspaper, the Beijing Daily, revealed that a total of 104 out of the 205 CPC Central Committee members have been promoted, demoted or expelled from their positions since 2012, the Global Times report said.
Among them, 81 were promoted to key positions, 16 were transferred to less important posts, and seven were removed from their jobs. Those who have been promoted have been transferred from more marginal positions and jobs in remote areas.
“This kind of change is needed for efficient future economic development as China is in a key phase of deepening reform and economic restructuring,” said Cai Zhiqiang, professor with the Party School of the CPC central committee.
Focus on discipline

The reshuffle also reflects the country’s focus on the enforcement of discipline in Party construction since President Xi took office in 2012, said Zhang Xixian, who also belongs to the Party School.
“The country is laying the foundation to comprehensively strengthen Party discipline between 2012 and 2017,” observed Mr. Zhang.