On March 27, former Deputy Chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Guo Yonghang, was placed under investigation by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Guo was removed from his position as Party Secretary of Guangzhou two months ago and was reassigned to the CPPCC. It is noteworthy that four out of the previous five Party Secretaries of Guangzhou have encountered political troubles. There are indications that Guo’s removal may be related to his previous tenure in Zhuhai. However, there is greater speculation surrounding his connection to Ma Xingrui, a member of the Central Political Bureau facing a political crisis.
Guo Yonghang, 60, a native of Jiyang, Shandong, has had a long career in Guangdong. He was appointed as the Party Secretary of Yantian District in Shenzhen, Guangdong in May 2015. He was later promoted to the Standing Committee of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee and served as the Secretary-General. In February 2018, he was transferred to become the Party Secretary of Zhuhai. In December 2021, he was appointed as the Deputy Secretary of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee and Acting Mayor. In January 2022, Guo became the Mayor of Guangzhou. In June 2023, he was promoted to the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and Party Secretary of Guangzhou. Guo was relieved of his Party Secretary duties in Guangzhou on December 24 last year and was assigned as the Deputy Chairman of the Guangdong Provincial CPPCC in January, before the announcement of his investigation on March 27.
According to reports from Caixin, Guo Yonghang was taken away for questioning on March 24. On the same day, leaders of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission in Zhuhai were also asked to assist in the investigation. The investigation into Guo Yonghang may be related to his tenure in Zhuhai.
During his time as the Party Secretary of Zhuhai in 2018, Guo Yonghang was involved in leading the equity transfer of Gree Electric Appliances in the state-owned enterprise reforms. In 2019, Gree Group transferred 15% of Gree Electric Appliances’ shares to Hillhouse Capital for 41.662 billion RMB, relieving the Zhuhai State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of its role as the actual controlling shareholder.
Following the completion of the mixed-ownership reform of Gree, the Zhuhai state-owned enterprises faced pressure to maintain their revenue scale.
In January 2019, Li Congshan, then Deputy Director of the Office of the Zhuhai Municipal Government, was appointed as the Director of the Municipal State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. Li Congshan spearheaded significant investments by Gree Group, leading to numerous private entrepreneurs writing to local leaders seeking cooperation. Guo Yonghang instructed state-owned enterprises to handle the situation “discreetly.” However, issues emerged with some projects. After Guo left Zhuhai, several state-owned enterprises in the area faced difficulties.
Li Congshan was detained in July 2024, subsequently leading to the downfall of several executives in the Zhuhai state-owned enterprise system involved in water management, park development, real estate, and other key sectors.
Although reports indicated Guo Yonghang’s case may be linked to events in Zhuhai, speculations are rife about Guo Yonghang potentially being implicated in power struggles at the high levels of the CCP. Guo Yonghang was a prominent figure during Ma Xingrui’s tenure as the Party Secretary of Shenzhen, serving as his close aide. The two individuals share a common background as native Shandong residents.
Ma Xingrui took on the role of Party Secretary in Shenzhen in March 2015. In December 2016, he became the Deputy Party Secretary, Vice Governor, and Acting Governor of Guangdong Province. In January 2017, he was appointed as the Deputy Party Secretary and Governor of the province. In December 2021, he was appointed as the Party Secretary of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. After being promoted to a member of the Central Political Bureau at the 20th National Congress of the CCP in 2022, Ma Xingrui was relieved of his position as Party Secretary of Xinjiang in July 2025 and has since been absent from key meetings amid circulating rumors of his political downfall.
When Guo Yonghang was removed as the Party Secretary of Guangzhou, independent commentator Cai Shenkun posted on X platform, suggesting that Guo Yonghang, being Ma Xingrui’s protege, may have reached the end of his career path following Ma Xingrui’s troubles. He speculated that if lucky, Guo Yonghang might find a retirement position in the provincial People’s Congress or the CPPCC.
Gao Shiwen, who had served as Ma Xingrui’s secretary at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation for many years and held the position of Mayor of Nanchang, Jiangxi, reportedly missed several important meetings in Nanchang in February this year, sparking rumors of his troubles. Gao Shiwen and Ma Xingrui also share a connection as native Shandong residents.
Independent commentator Du Zheng pointed out in a February 28 article in Taiwan’s “Shang Bao” that Guo Yonghang and Gao Shiwen share two significant common identifiers: both served as Ma Xingrui’s secretaries and both hail from Shandong. The downfall of secretaries often reflects the crises faced by their superiors. The shared identifier “Shandong natives” between the two individuals confirms the notion of CCP official circles relying on regional connections as ties.
Feng Zhonghua, the current member of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and Party Secretary of Guangzhou, also concurrently serves as the Minister of the Organization Department of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee. Prior to Feng’s appointment, four out of the five Party Secretaries of Guangzhou since 2011 have faced unfortunate fates. Among them, Wan Qingliang, who took office in December 2011, was investigated for corruption and eventually sentenced to life imprisonment during his tenure from December 2011 to June 2014.
In August 2014, Ren Xuefeng was transferred from Deputy Mayor of Tianjin to serve as a member of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and Party Secretary of Guangzhou. In February 2017, he was promoted to the Deputy Party Secretary of Guangdong Province and Party Secretary of Guangzhou. In July 2018, he was relieved of his position as Party Secretary of Guangzhou and was then transferred to Deputy Party Secretary of Chongqing. In October 2019, Ren Xuefeng fell from a building in Beijing, with official announcements attributing his death to ineffective medical treatment, while reports from other sources suggested suicide by jumping from a building during the Fourth Plenary Session held at the Jingxi Guesthouse.
Additionally, Zhang Shuofu was demoted in 2021 following the controversy surrounding the felling of ancient trees in Guangzhou and was reassigned to a secondary position in the Guangdong People’s Congress.
Guo Yonghang’s downfall now marks another former “top leader” in Guangzhou to face political troubles.