BEIJING (AP) — China’s ruling Communist Party has expelled one of its most senior officials, state media announced Tuesday, marking the latest chapter in leader Xi Jinping’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign.
Ma Xingrui held a seat on the Politburo, an elite 24-member body composed of the country’s top party leaders. State media now refers to him as a former member following the announcement.
Ma is the third sitting Politburo member — whose current term spans 2022 to 2027 — to be removed as part of the anti-corruption effort. The other two expelled members are military generals. Political analysts view the campaign as both a tool to eliminate corruption and a way for Xi to reinforce loyalty within the party’s ranks.
Signs of Ma’s downfall first emerged in April, when authorities announced he was under investigation for serious violations of party discipline and national laws, though no specifics were provided at that time. Tuesday’s reports revealed that party investigators concluded he had committed numerous violations, including accepting gifts and money, as well as engaging in what were described as “power-for-sex” and “power-for-money” exchanges.
Additional violations included using his official position to steer government contracts and job promotions toward certain individuals, and turning a blind eye to alleged criminal behavior by members of his own staff.
Ma, 66, most recently served as the Communist Party chief of the Xinjiang region until 2025. Prior to that, he was governor of Guangdong province, a major manufacturing hub located in southern China along the border with Hong Kong. In China’s political structure, the party chief holds higher authority than the governor within any province or region. By background, Ma is a trained engineer who worked in the aerospace sector before transitioning into local government.
In a separate but related development, the party’s anti-corruption body announced Tuesday that it has launched an investigation into the director of mine safety in Shanxi province, following a deadly coal mine explosion that occurred in May.
