Ma Xingrui, a former Politburo member and the top Communist Party official in Xinjiang until 2025, has been expelled from the party and dismissed from public office. Following an investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, officials cited widespread corruption, including power-for-money
transactions and severe violations of party discipline.
Investigation Findings and Charges Against Ma Xingrui
The downfall of Ma Xingrui marks a significant moment in the ongoing anti-corruption campaign led by Chinese leader Xi Jinping. According to AP News, the official’s misconduct spanned a wide range of activities. Authorities concluded that Ma engaged in power-for-sex
and power-for-money
transactions, while also utilizing his influential positions to secure job promotions and contracts for others.
The formal report alleges that Ma, who once headed China’s new-generation carrier rocket program, fundamentally abandoned his duties to the party.
“Lost his ideals and beliefs,” abandoned “his political conviction,” “betrayed the party’s principles and original mission” and “seriously violated [the party’s] political discipline and rules.”
Report of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, via South China Morning Post
A Rare Purge Within the Politburo
Ma Xingrui’s dismissal is particularly notable due to his status as a member of the Politburo, the elite 24-member body governing the party. His removal marks the third time a member of the current Politburo—which serves a term from 2022 to 2027—has been purged during this anti-corruption drive. The other two individuals removed were military generals.
Analysts cited by AP News view the campaign as a strategic instrument designed to enforce loyalty to Xi Jinping while simultaneously purging corruption. The situation is considered rare, as the removal of three Politburo members within a single term has not been observed in decades.
Career Background and Regional Influence
Before his tenure as the Communist Party chief of the Xinjiang region, Ma Xingrui built a career that bridged the technical and political sectors. An engineer by training, he transitioned from the aerospace industry into local government roles. His career trajectory included a stint at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology before he became the deputy party secretary of Guangdong province in 2013.
Following his work in Guangdong, Ma served as the party secretary of Shenzhen and later as the governor of Guangdong. In the Chinese political system, the party leader holds higher rank than the governor, a position he held in Xinjiang until 2025.
As the party continues its internal cleanup, the anti-corruption body is simultaneously investigating other officials. On the same day Ma’s expulsion was confirmed, the party’s anti-corruption body announced it was looking into the director of mine safety in Shanxi province following a deadly coal mine explosion that occurred in May.
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