A member of China’s top leadership body, the CCP Politburo, has officially been announced as removed, and the CCP also disclosed his new position in the announcement. Ma Xingrui had been missing for a long time, absent from multiple CCP meetings, and even failed to send a wreath when several senior CCP figures passed away.
On April 3, 2026, according to a report by CCP state media Xinhua News Agency, Politburo member and Deputy Leader of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, Ma Xingrui is under investigation for “serious disciplinary and legal violations” and is currently subject to disciplinary review and supervisory investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission (CCDI-NSC).
Independent media commentator Sato Peng posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Ma Xingrui’s official removal by the CCP conveys two key messages:
- Ma Xingrui is indeed in serious trouble.
- After being removed from his previous post last year, Ma was assigned to the same position as his predecessor, Chen Quanguo—Deputy Leader of the CCP Central Rural Work Leading Group. However, Ma did not make it to the Central Rural Work Conference in December 2025 before being detained.
It is noteworthy that this is also the first time the CCP has officially disclosed Ma Xingrui’s new position after he was removed as Party Secretary of Xinjiang.
In July 2025, Ma was removed from his post as Xinjiang Party Secretary, summoned back to Beijing, and the CCP stated he would be assigned another position, but his new role was never announced. From November 2025 onward, Ma repeatedly missed major CCP high-level meetings:
- Nov. 28, 2025: CCP Politburo collective study session
- Dec. 10, 2025: Central Economic Work Conference
- Dec. 25, 2025: CCP Politburo “main life” meeting
- Jan. 12, 2026: Fifth plenary session of the CCDI
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He also missed the CCP’s Two Sessions in March 2026. In addition, Ma was “removed” by the CCP National People’s Congress Presidium.
Chinese netizens reacted widely, saying things like:
- “This is a really big tiger.”
- “After waiting so long, the boot has finally dropped. Few words, big deal!”
- “It was clear something happened as soon as he was removed last year; it was just a matter of time.”
- “Quite a few people from the aerospace system have fallen.”
Overseas netizens commented:
- “The boot has dropped, the aerospace faction is in total collapse.”
- “Cast an I Ching hexagram—Ma Xingrui case, someone is going to lose their head.”
- “The boot has finally dropped, Ma Xingrui officially announced. Xi Jinping’s loyal confidant, Peng Liyuan’s subordinate, is going to Qincheng to enjoy life. And you, when are you going?”
After Ma Xingrui’s prolonged “disappearance,” it was observed that many of his former subordinates from his posts in Xinjiang and Guangdong were also being removed.
On March 27, 2026, Guo Yonghang, Vice Chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), was also officially announced as removed. Guo had previously served as Ma Xingrui’s top secretary during Ma’s tenure as Shenzhen Party Secretary in 2015. In May 2015, Guo was promoted to Shenzhen Municipal Standing Committee member and Secretary-General, becoming Ma’s chief aide.
After Ma became Guangdong Governor on Jan. 23, 2017, Guo was promoted to Party Secretary of Zhuhai in February 2018. In December 2025, Guo stepped down as Guangdong Provincial Standing Committee member and Guangzhou Party Secretary and became Vice Chairman of the Guangdong CPPCC. Multiple sources told Chinese media Caixin that Guo had been questioned by relevant authorities. Guo’s removal also reflects Ma Xingrui’s precarious situation.
In February 2026, Gao Shiwen, Mayor of Nanchang, consecutively missed important municipal meetings. The Nanchang municipal government’s social media account had previously updated a weekly “Gao Shiwen Comrade’s Governance Week” every Sunday, but updates suddenly stopped on Feb. 8. Social media reports suggested that Gao was summoned for questioning by relevant CCP authorities. Gao had served as Ma Xingrui’s secretary for many years during Ma’s tenure at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
Independent commentator Du Zheng wrote in Taiwan media Up Media that Guo Yonghang and Gao Shiwen share two clear common traits: they were both Ma Xingrui’s secretaries, and they are both Ma’s fellow Shandong natives. When a secretary gets into trouble, it usually reflects a crisis for their superior. The shared “Shandong native” connection supports the notion of CCP factions being organized around hometown ties. The most powerful backer of the so-called “Shandong faction” in the CCP is Xi Jinping’s wife, Peng Liyuan. Ma Xingrui’s close relationship with Peng Liyuan had previously helped him rise rapidly in the party ranks.
Du Zheng stated that Ma Xingrui is a protégé of Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan. The reason for targeting Ma now is due to widespread corruption in the CCP’s military-industrial sector, combined with reports of corruption within Ma Xingrui’s own family. This situation put Xi and Peng in a difficult position, forcing Xi to “shed tears while cutting down Ma Xingrui” in the Year of the Horse.
As Peng Liyuan’s top protégé, the fact that Xi could not even protect Ma Xingrui indirectly reflects Xi’s political position within the CCP.
