Chinese ruler carries out unprecedented purge of senior officials

Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping expelled a record 33 senior officials from the Chinese Communist Party this week, authorities announced yesterday. The purges came during a closed-door meeting by the party’s Central Committee that ran from October 26 to 29. The expulsions include a former top military commander, a former Politburo member who led Xinjiang, the previous head of the military’s joint staff and a one-time close aide to Xi. Since taking power in 2012, Xi has removed scores of senior officials, but never has he purged so many in a single sweep. Whether driven by corruption or questions of loyalty to Xi, these repeated purges point to instability at the highest levels of the Chinese government, and they come as China faces serious headwinds in both economics and demographics. All these factors could help diminish the power of Xi and China compared to Vladimir Putin and Russia—and shift the power balance in accordance with the Bible’s prophecies.