Every bag through the X-ray: Beijing commuters fume over checks during the party plenum

What happened

On Monday, October 26, the fifth plenum of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party opened in Beijing. Its roughly 300 members are meeting behind closed doors until Thursday, October 29. According to the state news agency Xinhua, President and party leader Xi Jinping presented a draft decision to further deepen strict party discipline. According to Reuters and AFP, the session is likely the last major party gathering before the party congress in autumn 2027, where Xi is expected to secure a fourth term.

The capital stepped up security weeks before the meeting. The Taiwanese newspaper United Daily News (UDN) reports more armed police and militia members on pedestrian bridges and at major intersections. Since October 20, stricter rules have applied on the subway: an announcement tells passengers to put all their luggage through the scanner and accept a body check. Even small bags that used to be simply opened must now go through the X-ray machine, and drinks are tested for dangerous liquids.

According to subway staff, the measures will remain in place until the end of the month. State media report on the plenum's agenda but do not mention the checks in the city's daily life.

The mood on the ground

For many commuters the checks mean waiting above all. According to social media posts cited by UDN, just queuing to reach the checkpoint took 20 to 30 minutes, making some people late for work. A photo published by the newspaper shows long lines in front of the gates at Dongzhimen station in the evening.

A volunteer helper at one station told UDN that queues have formed regularly at rush hour since the measures began, and that the day before, dozens of complaints had been filed with the city's 12345 citizen hotline from her station alone. Staff were under heavy strain, she said.

One passenger found it excessive that even bags holding lunch boxes were X-rayed and, according to the report, simply switched to a glass lunch box. Asked for more details, a subway employee only replied briefly that a meeting was under way.

The perspectives differ sharply: China's state-controlled media such as Xinhua report only on the plenum's programme and decisions, without addressing the mood in the city. The commuters' frustration is documented only in foreign media, above all Taiwan's UDN, which relies on conversations on the ground and on social media posts. An alleged secret document on maintaining stability circulating on X could not be independently verified, UDN noted.

Voices from the media