By Li Jingyao, Vision Times
The sudden disappearance of Politburo Standing Committee member Li Xi, together with the absence of Politburo member Ma Xingrui during the CCP’s 23rd “collective study session,” has accelerated speculation that a political earthquake is underway in China. Almost simultaneously, Chen Weijun, Standing Committee member and Executive Vice Chairman of Xinjiang, was placed under investigation for “serious disciplinary and legal violations.”
Analysts say these events signal a coordinated strategy by the Hu Jintao–Wen Jiabao faction: target Xi Jinping’s power base from the outside in, beginning with the Zhejiang and Shandong cliques before moving toward Xi’s core loyalists. With Ma Xingrui and Chen Weijun already down, many now believe Chen Min’er will be the next major figure to fall. The once-formidable “Zhijiang New Army” is showing signs of imminent collapse.
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Ma Xingrui snatched up
Ma Xingrui’s absence from the Politburo meeting is widely interpreted as confirmation that he has been detained. The Politburo serves as Beijing’s top-ruling body. Observers began suspecting trouble months earlier, when Ma was abruptly removed as Xinjiang Party Secretary in July with the vague explanation of being “reassigned.”
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U.S.-based analyst Dr. Lei Ge said Ma’s corruption network has been unraveling quickly: “The anti-Xi coalition is now operating across Xinjiang, Shenzhen, Shaanxi, and Beijing, gathering evidence that touches directly on the Xi–Peng family line. Ma Xingrui may become the first Politburo member to fall in 2026.” Two internal versions of his detention are circulating:
Version 1 — Detained in the meeting:
Witnesses describe several military discipline agents in combat uniforms marching into the room and, “one on each side, half dragging, half carrying” Ma Xingrui out of the hall.
Version 2 — Named in the meeting, seized outside:
According to this account, Zhang Youxia publicly “set the tone” by naming him, and Ma was removed later by a joint task force from the CCDI and the Military Discipline Commission.
Insiders also note that Ma Xingrui and Peng Liyuan are both linked to the Shandong faction, making the directive all the more revealing. Regardless of the version, commentators agree on two facts:
- Ma did not attend the meeting.
- The military led the operation — not Xi’s central authorities.
Was Li Xi forced to offer a ‘token sacrifice’?
Some analysts say Li Xi’s absence may simply mean he was off-site supervising Ma’s detention. But others warn of a more ominous explanation. Commentator Jiang Feng argues that Xi Jinping is no longer the one setting the agenda. “The dominant forces now are Zhang Youxia and the Party elders. If they can take down Ma Xingrui, they can take down Li Xi.”
If Li Xi was executing an arrest operation, Jiang says, it suggests he was forced to “offer a token sacrifice” — a traditional political gesture demonstrating loyalty under duress. But if Li Xi wasn’t directing an operation and was instead barred from the meeting, the empty chair would symbolize something else entirely: Li Xi may already be out.
Analyst Li Yanming emphasizes that Li Xi has become increasingly vulnerable. “Among all of Xi Jinping’s loyalists, Li Xi has been the most vocal in echoing slogans like ‘the Two Upholds’ and ‘absolute loyalty.’ If Xi loses influence, Li Xi becomes a prime target in any political reset.”
A systematic Anti-Xi sweep
Jiang Feng describes what he calls a three-step offensive designed by Zhang Youxia and the Hu–Wen bloc:
Step 1: Shake the periphery. Arresting Zhejiang Deputy Education Director Tang Xiaoshu created shockwaves through the lower ranks and signaled that Xi’s old Zhejiang network was exposed.
Step 2: Cut off supply lines. Taking down Xinjiang’s Chen Weijun — a Ma Xingrui loyalist — severed Ma’s last support system and brought investigators directly into the core decision-making networks.
Step 3: Move on the heavyweights. Evidence collected through regional investigations now targets the senior figures: Ma Xingrui, Huang Kunming, Chen Min’er, and Li Xi.
“If Ma, Huang, Chen Min’er, and Li Xi fall,” Jiang says, “Xi Jinping’s entire power structure collapses. What remains in the hands of Cai Qi is nothing but a hollow shell.”
Dismantling the system
A popular CCP insider writing under the pseudonym “Ordinary Person Inside the Wall” describes the process this way: “Hu and Wen are playing a game of removing blocks from Xi Jinping’s tower. They pull one out, then another, and wait for the whole structure to fall.”
The commentator notes that as soon as Ma Xingrui vanished, the CCDI immediately announced an investigation into Chen Weijun — a rapid escalation designed to pressure the entire Xinjiang leadership.
YouTuber Jiang Wangzheng reports that Chen Weijun’s downfall stemmed from issues during his tenure in Wenzhou and Xinjiang, and that he ultimately aligned himself with Ma Xingrui — making him vulnerable once Ma was targeted. “Ordinary Person Inside the Wall” argues that Chen Weijun’s fall signals a wider collapse: “Chen Weijun should have fallen alongside former Hangzhou Secretary Zhou Jiangyong, but Xi personally shielded him and sent him to Xinjiang. Now that protection is gone.”
And the next domino? Chen Min’er. “Li Qiang may survive by distancing himself from Xi, but Chen Min’er will not be so lucky. He is root-and-branch Zhejiang faction — and exactly the kind of target Hu and Wen need.” If Chen Weijun talks, analysts say Zhejiang’s old corruption cases could reopen, providing the perfect legal and political grounds to dismantle the Zhejiang faction entirely.
“If Xi can’t protect Chen Weijun,” the commentator writes, “Chen Min’er’s fall is only a matter of time.”
From the Shandong faction to the Zhejiang faction, the anti-Xi coalition is dismantling Xi’s political base one layer at a time. If Ma Xingrui, Huang Kunming, Chen Min’er, and Li Xi are all neutralized, Xi Jinping’s internal power map will be reduced to fragments.
For now, all eyes are on who falls next — and whether Xi Jinping has any remaining ability to fight back.
Editorial note: Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Vision Times.
