Political analysis
Since the beginning of this year, former Xinjiang Party Secretary Ma Xingrui has fallen from power, while Evergrande boss Xu Jiayin and former Minister of Justice Tang Yijun have appeared in public trials. Now, reports note that CCDI (Central Commission of Discipline Inspection) Secretary Li Xi, who is deeply tied to them through overlapping interests, also finds himself in an increasingly precarious position.
Analysts believe that just as Chinese President Xi Jinping was unable to protect Ma Xingrui after a long delay, it will also be difficult for him to protect Li Xi, who may end up spending the rest of his life in Qincheng Prison if placed under investigation and convicted of corruption charges.
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Li Xi allegedly implicated by 3 key figures
Recently, political commentator Chen Pokong, based in the United States, analyzed in his self-media program that Politburo member and CCDI Secretary Li Xi is currently in a difficult situation because he is linked to three important individuals. The Politburo serves as China’s top ruling body.
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The first is former Xinjiang Party Secretary Ma Xingrui, who has already fallen from power. The two had worked together for four years in Guangdong as partners. From Jan. 23, 2017 to December 2021, Ma Xingrui served as Governor of Guangdong Province. From Oct. 28, 2017 to October 2022, Li Xi served as Party Secretary of Guangdong Province.
Chen Pokong pointed out that during Ma Xingrui’s tenure in Guangdong, he amassed enormous wealth, and his corruption allegedly involved the family of Peng Liyuan. It is said that he transferred US$4.2 billion in benefits to Xu Xingjian, the brother-in-law of Xi Jinping’s wife, Peng Liyuan. Li Xi is considered a trusted aide of Xi Jinping, while Ma Xingrui is described as a favored figure of Peng Liyuan. Since Ma Xingrui has already fallen from power, Li Xi’s situation may also have become extremely precarious due to his association with him.
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A tangled web
Chen Pokong stated that Ma Xingrui has deep and complex ties with Peng Liyuan. Even if Xi Jinping could still protect Peng Liyuan, he is no longer able to protect Ma Xingrui. Therefore, whether Xi can protect Li Xi is also uncertain, because Ma Xingrui is likely to testify against Li Xi, and there are two other individuals who may also expose him.
One of them is Tang Yijun. He is a member of Xi’s trusted political network who rose through Zhejiang and is considered a close confidant of Xi Jinping. From May 2015 to October 2017, Li Xi served as Party Secretary of Liaoning Province. In October 2017, Tang Yijun was appointed Deputy Party Secretary of Liaoning Province. From January 2018 to April 2020, he served as Governor of Liaoning Province.
After that, from Oct. 28, 2017 to October 2022, Li Xi served as Party Secretary of Guangdong Province and was “elected” to the Politburo, preparing for advancement into the Politburo Standing Committee. Later, Xi Jinping removed former Minister of Justice Fu Zhenghua and former Minister of Public Security Sun Lijun, and promoted Tang Yijun, despite his troubled background, to become Minister of Justice in Beijing.
Tang’s demise
On Feb. 2, Tang Yijun was sentenced to life imprisonment. His charges were mainly based on testimony from Evergrande chairman Xu Jiayin. Xu Jiayin had extensive dealings with officials in many provinces and cities; for example, Evergrande Group’s cooperation agreements with Guangdong Province and Liaoning Province were nominally formal partnerships but were actually channels for illicit benefit transfers. Tang Yijun ultimately became implicated through Xu Jiayin.
On April 13–14, 2026, Xu Jiayin’s case was publicly heard at the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court. He had previously implicated Ma Xingrui and Tang Yijun, leading to both being taken down under pressure from anti-Xi factions within the CCP. Xi Jinping delayed for a long time but ultimately could not protect Ma Xingrui, resulting in his official downfall.
Chen Pokong stated that Li Xi has therefore been implicated by three individuals: Xu Jiayin, Tang Yijun, and Ma Xingrui. The materials provided by these three are sufficient to bring down Li Xi. Unless Xi Jinping decides to fully protect Li Xi, as a Politburo Standing Committee member under the CCP’s unwritten rule that “Standing Committee members are above legal prosecution,” Li Xi’s alleged crimes are no less serious than those of Ma Xingrui, Tang Yijun, and Xu Jiayin.
Analysis: Xi may not be able to protect Li Xi
Chen Pokong said that Xu Jiayin is a private entrepreneur and the main briber, playing a more passive role in transferring benefits. Ma Xingrui, who served in the military industry and later governed Guangzhou and Xinjiang, allegedly transferred benefits to the Peng Liyuan family and is a key figure. Li Xi, however, as Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), holds major disciplinary power. During Ma Xingrui’s tenure as Party Secretary of Shenzhen and Governor of Guangdong, he was under Li Xi’s authority, and therefore would have had to “show respect” to him.
Chen Pokong believes that when Tang Yijun was transferred to Liaoning, he was originally meant to take over Li Xi’s position. At that time, Li Xi had already arranged cooperation projects with Xu Jiayin. When Tang Yijun inherited this system, it would have been impossible for him not to “show respect” to Li Xi.
Among these wealth-generating projects, Li Xi was likely the “main figure,” standing above Tang Yijun, Ma Xingrui, and Xu Jiayin in the hierarchy. The materials provided by these individuals could therefore place Li Xi in an extremely precarious position within the CCP.
More purges on the horizon?
One early sign, according to the analysis, was that in November 2025, Ma Xingrui was absent from a Politburo meeting for the first time, and Li Xi was also absent. It was said that Zhang Youxia, who attended the meeting at the time, became angry and stated: “How can someone like Ma Xingrui still attend Politburo meetings? He should no longer be present.” It was reported that Ma Xingrui was subsequently taken away, and Li Xi was also strongly reprimanded by anti-Xi factions and Zhang Youxia, which explained his absence from the meeting.
Li Xi later reappeared in public as usual. But shortly after that, Xi allegedly launched a “political purge,” leading to the downfall of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, which caused subtle shifts in the political situation. At one point, it was believed outside the system that Xi could protect Ma Xingrui, but in the end Ma Xingrui was officially announced to have fallen from power.
Chen Pokong pointed out that since Xi Jinping ultimately could not protect Ma Xingrui, the question remains whether he can protect Li Xi. He believes this is difficult, because corruption cases are mainly concentrated among Xi’s own faction. Li Xi, as head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, is supposed to be an anti-corruption official, yet he is also allegedly deeply involved in corruption—something that is difficult to justify.
Moreover, after Ma Xingrui, Tang Yijun, and Xu Jiayin were investigated, the materials they provided reportedly included extensive references to Li Xi’s alleged corruption. During internal CCP discussions, this would further implicate him. Taken together, these factors could increase the likelihood of Li Xi’s downfall.
Even if he does not fall from power while still holding a Politburo Standing Committee position, due to the CCP’s unwritten rule that “Standing Committee members are above legal punishment,” once he steps down after the 21st Party Congress, his fate may resemble that of former Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang: Prosecuted, sentenced, and sent to Qincheng Prison.
Editorial note: This article is based on publicly circulating reports and commentary from independent analysts. The claims described have not been independently verified by Vision Times, and relevant authorities have not publicly confirmed the allegations.
