China expels former Politburo member Ma Xingrui in widening anti-graft drive

BEIJING: China has expelled former Politburo member Ma Xingrui from the ruling Communist Party and removed him from public office over corruption allegations, in the latest high-level move in President Xi Jinping’s anti-graft campaign.

Ma had already been placed under disciplinary and supervisory investigation. He is the third sitting member of the Communist Party’s top decision-making body to be purged since 2025. Ma had also served as deputy head of the central rural work leading group, and his membership in China’s parliament was revoked last month.

Authorities opened an investigation into Ma in April over suspected serious violation of law and discipline, the phrase commonly used by the party in corruption cases. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said investigators found that he sought benefits for others in the selection and appointment of officials and improperly arranged jobs for others. The watchdog also said he connived at, failed to detect and failed to rein in serious violations of discipline and law, and suspected criminal conduct, by staff members around him.

Allegations detailed by party watchdog

The CCDI said Ma illegally accepted gifts, helped relatives buy property below market prices and engaged in exchanges involving power and money for sex. It also accused him of allowing family members to use his official influence to secure major gains, describing the case as large-scale family corruption. The watchdog did not disclose the amount of money or property allegedly involved.

Jean Christopher Mittelstaedt, professor of modern Chinese studies at the University of Zurich, said the case reflected a decision taken at the highest level. He said a move against an official of Ma’s standing would have required Xi’s backing and noted that the wording used by investigators was unusually severe.

"A decision to purge someone of Ma Xingrui's rank is taken at the very top, with Xi Jinping's backing"

Mittelstaedt also said the charges were framed in especially harsh terms.

"What is uncommon is that all of it is framed as 'extremely serious in nature', a top-severity tag that occurs in well under 1% of cases"

He added that while some senior officials have previously been given a soft landing, Ma’s case appeared to have moved toward prosecution rather than a quiet exit, with the family-related allegations likely weighing heavily. Ma could not be reached for comment.

Associates and sectors under scrutiny

The investigation has unfolded alongside scrutiny of officials who worked with Ma. In March, authorities announced a probe into Guo Yonghang, who had served as Ma’s chief of staff when Ma was the top official in Shenzhen from 2015 to 2016. Guo later advanced through the ranks in Guangdong while Ma was governor of the province. In recent months, several officials in Xinjiang who were promoted after Ma became party chief there in late 2021 have also come under investigation.

Ma, a former rocket scientist who later became an administrator, rose rapidly after serving as an executive at China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation in the 2000s. He spent more than a decade in China’s state-owned aerospace industry and oversaw major space programmes. His downfall comes as China increases scrutiny of the defence and aerospace sectors.

In February, prosecutors accused Zhang Jianhua, a former deputy director of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence, of bribery and abuse of influence. Zhang had served under Ma when Ma headed the defence industry regulator in 2013. In the same month, three Chinese lawmakers linked to the defence, aerospace and nuclear sectors were removed from their posts.

The latest move against Ma adds to a wider anti-corruption campaign that has reached senior party, government and military officials. Millions of people across China’s bureaucracy have faced investigations of varying levels. In January, China also opened a corruption investigation into Zhang Youxia, the military’s most senior general, while former Central Military Commission vice chair He Weidong was expelled from the Communist Party in October last year.