Chinese Communist Party Politburo Member Expelled for Corruption

Chinese disciplinary authorities have officially expelled Ma Xingrui, a former member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo and former party secretary of the Xinjiang region, from party membership. In addition to his expulsion from the party, Ma has also been removed from all public positions following an in-depth investigation into alleged corruption. The announcement was released by Chinese state media on Tuesday (14/7), following the completion of an investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). The investigation report on the 67-year-old was previously reviewed and approved at a Politburo meeting on 30 June before being published by the Xinhua news agency. In its official report, the CCDI accused Ma of committing a series of serious disciplinary and legal violations. Ma was found to have lost his political ideals and convictions and betrayed the party’s original principles and mission. The investigation, which began last April, revealed the dark side of the senior official’s political career. In addition to political violations, the CCDI detailed specific accusations, with Xinhua confirming that Ma abused public power as a tool for personal gain, including in the arrangement of project contracts, business operations, and promotions for certain parties. Ma Xingrui’s case is rare because he is a member of the CCP’s highest political body who was processed while still serving in the current term (2022-2027). He is the third Politburo member to be implicated in an investigation during this period. With Ma’s expulsion, the departure of former Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice-Chairman He Weidong, and the investigation into Zhang Youxia, the number of active Politburo members has shrunk from the original 24 to just 21. Before falling into the corruption vortex, Ma Xingrui had a brilliant career. He was known as an aerospace expert who served as general manager of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) from 2007 to 2013 and held a key role as deputy commander of China’s manned space programme. In the bureaucratic sphere, Ma served as Governor of Guangdong and Party Secretary of Shenzhen before being appointed to lead Xinjiang in 2021, replacing Chen Quanguo. However, that reputation has now collapsed following the discovery of rampant corruption within his family. Chinese authorities have confirmed that all assets suspected to be derived from criminal acts will be confiscated. Ma’s case has now been handed over to judicial institutions for further processing in accordance with Chinese law.