March 10, 2025, Beijing Great Hall of the People—A security guard stands at the entrance before the closing ceremony of the Chinese People&9;s Political Consultative Conference. (WANG ZHAO/AFP via Getty Images)
[People News] Ma Xingrui, the former Party Secretary of Xinjiang and a member of the Politburo, is highly likely to be announced as having fallen from grace following the Two Sessions in March this year.
Ma Xingrui has long been in a precarious position.
On July 1 of last year, the Communist Party of China announced that Ma Xingrui would 'no longer concurrently serve as the Party Secretary of Xinjiang and would be assigned to another position', but he has yet to receive any new assignment. Instead, since November of last year, he has been absent from a series of important meetings and events, including the Politburo's democratic life meeting scheduled for December 25-26, 2025. Recently, he also failed to send wreaths for the funerals of two senior Communist Party officials: the former Minister of Finance Wang Bingqian, who passed away on December 14, 2025, and the former Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress Peng Peiyun, who died on December 26. Furthermore, before the New Year of the Horse, there has been no sign of Ma Xingrui at any Communist Party activities, such as group celebrations, symposiums, or condolence meetings. Many political observers suggest that Ma Xingrui has effectively been dismissed as the Secretary of Xinjiang; he should have fallen from grace before November 28, 2025, and is likely being held at an interrogation base in Beijing after being subjected to 'double regulation' by the Discipline Inspection Commission.
When will the announcement regarding the missing official be made? The Communist Party has its own calculations.
In contrast to Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, it was announced within a week that Ma Xingrui had been missing for nearly four months. Is it normal for this not to be disclosed? In the peculiar black box system of the Chinese Communist Party, instances of individuals disappearing for several months or even years are not unusual. For example, a significant number of high-ranking officials, such as former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, former Navy Political Commissar Yuan Huazhi, former Commander of the Armed Police Wang Chunning, former Chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Xu Dazhe, and former Chief Engineer of China National Nuclear Corporation Luo Qi, have all been missing for extended periods. By 2025, at least 21 generals have been reported as 'disappeared', including Xu Xueqiang, the Minister of Equipment Development of the Central Military Commission, Xu Qiling, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission, Air Force Commander Chang Dingqiu, Air Force Political Commissar Guo Puxiao, former Air Force Commander Ma Xiaotian, and former Army Commander Han Weiguo, among others.
Among these missing individuals, some may never be found, while others may only be announced as under investigation after several months or even years. For instance, former Minister of Defense Li Shangfu was placed under investigation by the Military Discipline Inspection Commission in August 2023, and another minister, Wei Fenghe, was placed under investigation in September 2023. However, it was not until the eve of the Third Plenary Session in June 2024 that the public was officially informed of their investigations. Additionally, He Weidong, the former Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, was reportedly taken by the Military Discipline Inspection Commission after attending the closing session of the National People's Congress in March 2025. Yet, the Chinese Communist Party delayed the official announcement until the eve of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th National Congress in October.
The timing of announcements regarding high-ranking officials who have fallen from grace in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is a calculated decision, primarily focused on maintaining regime stability, managing public sentiment, and shaping external perceptions. Consequently, Ma Xingrui is likely to be selected by the CCP to make an official announcement at a strategically appropriate moment. Recently, a significant number of officials at the ministerial level and above, including He Weidong, Yi Lianhong, Zhang Youxia, and Liu Zhenli, have been dismissed. By 2025, it is anticipated that 65 central management cadres will be under investigation, with the majority being provincial and ministerial officials. This year has seen the highest number of central management cadres investigated since the 18th National Congress of the CCP. The CCP is facing considerable pressure from public sentiment and external perceptions, making the situation appear quite unfavourable. As a result, the announcement regarding Ma Xingrui may have been postponed. However, why is it specifically Ma Xingrui, a trusted confidant of Xi, who is experiencing this delay, rather than another member of Xi's inner circle?
Why is the CCP holding off on the announcement?
On the People's Daily website, Ma Xingrui's status as a representative of the National People's Congress is still listed under the 'Xinjiang' section of the '14th National Congress Representative List.'
Initially, after the NPC meeting convened by the CCP in early February this year, this list should have been updated to reflect the removal of Ma Xingrui's representative status. Analysts suggest that the delay may be due to the recent dismissals of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, which left no consensus on whether to remove their statuses at that meeting, resulting in Ma Xingrui being put on hold. The extended delay concerning Ma Xingrui is likely tied to his relationship with Xi, and we can glean some insights from the trajectory of his political ascent.
Since Xi Jinping took office in 2012, Ma Xingrui has been consistently promoted, starting with his reassignment in March 2013 to several key positions, including Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Director of the National Space Administration, Director of the National Atomic Energy Agency, and Director of the Defence Science and Technology Industry Bureau. In November 2013, he was transferred to Guangdong, where he served as Deputy Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and Governor of Guangdong Province. In December 2021, Xi appointed Ma as the Secretary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Party Committee. By October 2022, Ma was elevated to a member of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Politburo.
Ma Xingrui's promotion history illustrates his increasing importance under Xi's leadership. He possesses not only experience in central government agencies but also a background in developed regions along the southeastern coast, as well as experience as a regional leader in the northwest. He has emerged as one of the deputy national-level leaders in the party and state. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, Ma Xingrui is likely to be a candidate for the Standing Committee of the Politburo at the upcoming 21st National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
Why does Xi Jinping place such significant emphasis on Ma Xingrui? Wang Youqun, a former official of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, analysed in the Dajiyuan that: 1. Ma Xingrui and Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, hail from Yuncheng, Shandong, and Ma may have provided support for the business of Peng's brother-in-law, Xu Xingjian, in Guangdong; 2. Ma Xingrui may have also supported the businesses of Xi's second sister, Xi Qiaoqiao, and her husband, Deng Jiagui, in Guangdong; 3. Ma's wife, Rong Li, is a close friend of Peng Liyuan within the circle of wives of high-ranking CCP officials, and according to overseas reports, Rong Li has engaged in interest transfers to Peng Liyuan. The British Financial Times has quoted insiders stating that Ma Xingrui and Peng Liyuan have familial connections, and he frequently visited the Xi family before Xi came to power, making him one of the closest high-ranking officials to Xi.
Given that Xi remains the top leader of the CCP and that Ma Xingrui's case involves a broad range of issues and high-level officials, the CCP authorities may believe that any announcement regarding Ma Xingrui should be made slowly and discreetly, and if possible, handled quietly or left unresolved publicly.
Ma Xingrui may soon be officially announced to be under investigation, possibly in the Year of the Horse.
So why might news of Ma Xingrui's downfall be announced during the two sessions in March?
On the eve of the fifth plenary session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection held in mid-January this year, Ma Xingrui's former subordinate, Li Xu, the deputy commander of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, was officially announced to have fallen.
Li Xu was appointed as the executive deputy director of the Organisation Department of the Corps Party Committee in November 2017 and later served as the Party Secretary and Political Commissar of the Ninth Division of the Xinjiang Corps. Ma Xingrui succeeded Chen Quanguo as the Party Secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in late December 2021, while also serving as the first political commissar of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and the first secretary of the Corps Party Committee.
Following this, Li Xu was promoted in June 2022 to the position of Deputy Commander of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and Deputy General Manager of the Xinjiang Construction Group. He later ascended to the Party Committee of the Corps, also taking on the role of Secretary-General and Secretary of the Working Committee of the Directly Affiliated Agencies of the Corps Party Committee, among other responsibilities.
Another former deputy-level official of Ma Xingrui, Chen Weijun, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region Party Committee and Executive Vice Chairman of the Autonomous Region Government, was officially announced to have been dismissed on November 30, 2025.
Both individuals have had a long-standing relationship with Ma Xingrui, with deep ties of interest. Their dismissals clearly indicate that the Communist Party of China (CPC) was prepared and aimed to sever Ma's connections. As the saying goes, 'to beat the dog, one must look at the owner,' suggesting that the CPC is closely monitoring and investigating Ma. Their fall from grace could certainly lead to revelations about Ma, signalling the beginning of his misfortunes. Given that there is an investigation into Ma, it is likely that the CPC has already decided to make an official announcement.
In recent years, during the extensive purge of the military-industrial sector, colleagues and subordinates from Ma Xingrui's time at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation have been continuously dismissed. Furthermore, before and after Ma Xingrui was unexpectedly removed from his position as Secretary of the Xinjiang Party Committee, the political landscape in Xinjiang and Guangdong, where Ma previously held power, has undergone a cleansing, with many of Ma's former subordinates being investigated.
Among these individuals, there may be more than one or two who could potentially expose Ma Xingrui. This further solidifies the notion that if Ma Xingrui is investigated, it would be impossible to conceal the issue without making an official announcement, as too many people are aware of the situation.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is set to hold its "Two Sessions" in early March. Recently, the CCP announced that the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) will convene from February 25 to 26 to review the "qualifications of individual representatives." There is significant public interest in whether this will affect the NPC representative qualifications of Zhang Youxia, Liu Zhenli, and Ma Xingrui. Notably, Ma Xingrui may be approved during the Standing Committee meeting, and the announcement could come after the conclusion of the Two Sessions.
Independent commentator Xiang Yang told The Dajiyuan that Ma Xingrui is likely to be the first major official to be ousted in the Year of the Horse, and this could happen soon.
The CCP is in a somewhat awkward situation, as Xi Jinping had publicly declared several years ago during a Politburo meeting that the "anti-corruption campaign has achieved overwhelming victory." Later, at the fifth plenary session of the 19th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, he reiterated that the "anti-corruption campaign has achieved overwhelming victory and has been fully consolidated." However, in just over two months since the start of 2026, more than 40 high-ranking officials have been removed, including nine officials at the ministerial level who have been officially announced as dismissed or dealt with.
Currently, Xi Jinping has reiterated that the fight against corruption is a significant political struggle that "cannot afford to lose and must not lose," emphasising the idea of "self-revolution." However, none of the leaders has offered any self-criticism regarding the serious corrupt officials who were "promoted despite their issues," nor have they taken responsibility for party discipline, political discipline, or legal accountability. Many ministerial-level officials have been promoted and reassigned, all of which were personally decided, organised, and led by Xi himself. Nevertheless, all officials are instructed not to speak out against the central authority; anyone who does so risks facing consequences. Additionally, all officials are required to be "loyal," "supportive," "protective," and "defensive" of Xi's core leadership. Lower-ranking officials can only express their discontent by keeping a low profile, questioning why they should be "loyal," "supportive," "protective," and "defensive."
As a result, whether it is Ma Xingrui or any other official who has fallen from grace, their cases are not officially announced, leading everyone to feel somewhat relieved; they might as well spend their time sleeping or playing games.
(First published by the People News)
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