The investigation into former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo member Ma Xingrui continues to reverberate through China’s political system, as two officials linked to his past careers have recently come under scrutiny. Ma was among the country’s top political figures as a member of the Politburo.
One is Gao Shiwen, the mayor of Nanchang and a longtime associate from Ma’s years in China’s aerospace industry. The other is Chen Weijun, a former senior Xinjiang official who worked alongside Ma during his tenure in the region. Gao, 52, has been absent from public view for months. Observers first noted his disappearance in February, when he failed to attend a series of major meetings in Nanchang.
RELATED: 8 Xinjiang Officials Probed for ‘Discipline Violations’ After Ma Xingrui’s Downfall
Where is Gao?
On Feb. 4, Gao’s name was absent from official reports on the city’s fourth conference promoting the provincial capital development strategy. The following day, he was also absent from the sixth plenary session of Nanchang’s disciplinary commission. Rumors circulating online at the time even suggested Gao had been summoned by investigators. Though authorities never publicly addressed the speculation, Gao has not reappeared.
On June 11, another development fueled questions about his status: Gao’s biography was removed from the “Municipal Government Leadership” section of the Nanchang government website. Searches for his name on the city’s official portal now return no results.
Success
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Success
Check your email to complete sign up
Such removals have often preceded formal disciplinary announcements involving Chinese officials, though there is no official confirmation that Gao is under investigation from official sources.
Climbing the ranks
Public records show that Gao built much of his early career within China’s aerospace sector. He worked at the Beijing Aerospace Automatic Control Research Institute and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), where he served in several positions connected to Ma Xingrui.
Between 2007 and 2013, when Ma served as general manager of CASC, Gao worked as a secretary and later headed the company’s general manager’s office. After Ma left the aerospace industry for provincial leadership roles, Gao also transitioned into local government, serving in Jiangxi Province before becoming mayor of Nanchang in 2024.
Attention has also focused on Chen Weijun, the former vice chairman of the Xinjiang regional government. On June 8, China’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection announced that Chen had been expelled from the Communist Party and dismissed from public office for what it described as “serious violations of discipline and law.” His case has been transferred to judicial authorities for prosecution.
A tangled web
Chen had spent much of his career in Zhejiang Province and was widely regarded as having ties to officials who rose through the province’s political system. In June 2021, he was transferred to Xinjiang as a member of the regional Party standing committee and executive vice chairman.
But just six months later, Ma Xingrui was appointed Party secretary of Xinjiang. The overlap in their tenures has prompted outside analysts to examine whether the investigations surrounding Chen and Gao could signal broader repercussions stemming from Ma’s downfall.
Commentator and political analyst Tang Jingyuan suggested that the developments may indicate that authorities are accelerating efforts related to officials connected to Ma through both his aerospace and Xinjiang networks. Ma himself was removed as Xinjiang Party secretary in July 2025 and was later announced to be under investigation in April 2026.
As with many high-profile disciplinary cases in China, the opaque nature of the Party’s internal process leaves outside observers with limited visibility into the scope of the investigation. But for now, the disappearance of one longtime aide and the formal downfall of another have only intensified scrutiny of one of the most closely watched political investigations in recent months.
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.
