The member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Ma Xingrui, was officially announced to have fallen from power today, April 3. Experts believe that the Ma Xingrui case involves aerospace systems and the regions of Guangdong and Xinjiang. It may also implicate two former secretaries of Guangdong, among others. Xi Jinping had to take him down, which is why the announcement was delayed for a long time. This also reflects intense infighting within the Chinese Communist Party and an unstable political situation.
The official Xinhua News Agency reported on April 3 that Ma Xingrui, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and vice leader of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, is under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and laws.” This is the first time his position as Vice Leader of the Central Rural Work Leading Group has been officially disclosed.
Ma Xingrui’s last public appearance was at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee in October 2025, after which he was absent from several important high-level meetings.
Compared to the swift removal of Zhang Youxia, the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Ma Xingrui’s downfall took nearly half a year before being officially announced.
Su Ziyun, Director of Strategy and Resources at the Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Security Studies, told Dajiyuan that Ma Xingrui comes from an aerospace background, and his issues are primarily related to the purge within the Rocket Forces. The crackdown within the Rocket Forces, which are closely associated with rocket launches and space research, could extend upwards to the aerospace sector.
He believes that the ongoing purge within the Chinese military and political circles is still ongoing. The delay in handling the situation may stem from rumors that Ma Xingrui was promoted by Peng Liyuan, possibly forcing Xi Jinping to deal with him.
“Including the Fujian faction, the most critical issue is the response from other factions. When you take down other factions, they will retaliate against yours. However, Xi Jinping remains in charge, indicating that the political situation inside China is indeed unstable.”
Researcher Shen Mingshi from the Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Security Studies told Dajiyuan that rumors of Ma Xingrui’s downfall have been circulating for a long time, indicating that Xi Jinping may have initially sought to protect him or been investigating the two former secretaries of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee who cooperated with Ma Xingrui, including Li Xi, currently a member of the Political Bureau, and Hu Chunhua, the current Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
“If this is the case, it proves that Xi Jinping couldn’t protect Ma Xingrui, but wanted to bring down Hu Chunhua through the Ma Xingrui incident, as Hu Chunhua was previously considered the designated successor by the elders.”
Shen Mingshi believes that the Ma Xingrui case involves several regions. If it is related to Guangdong, implicating Hu Chunhua, the storm will only grow larger, creating a greater impact on China’s internal political dynamics.
Shen Mingshi added that after Ma Xingrui’s official downfall, it will not be until the Fifth Plenary Session that his role as a Central Committee member will be removed, requiring a large-scale replacement of Central Committee members by the time of the 21st Party Congress.
According to incomplete statistics from Dajiyuan, nearly 70 members of the Central Committee generated from the 20th Party Congress have been purged, accounting for approximately 18% of all members. This is the highest number and proportion of members purged in a single Central Committee since the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976.
Of the members of the 20th Politburo elected in October 2022, two Vice Chairmen of the Central Military Commission, He Wudong and Zhang Youxia, were successively purged. Along with Ma Xingrui, three members of the current Politburo have fallen from power. This is also the highest number of Politburo members to have fallen since the Cultural Revolution.
Senior commentator based in the U.S., Chen Pokong, previously told Dajiyuan that the current Politburo, including the current Central Committee, was forcibly pushed into a third term by Xi Jinping at the 20th Congress, handpicked by a single individual. However, these individuals are now falling from grace, indicating Xi Jinping’s incompetence in governance. “He has allowed corruption to flourish and lacks the ability to discern and recruit talent, favoring only those close to him.”
He analyzed that the Politburo should have 25 members, but Xi excluded Hu Chunhua at the 20th Congress and excluded women. With 24 members, it is impossible to make decisions if evenly split. Xi wants to be the sole decision-maker. With three members now removed – Zhang Youxia, He Wudong, and Ma Xingrui’s recent downfall – it is likely that further reductions will occur.
He said this is the most significant upheaval since the Cultural Revolution, indicating that the regime has entered a turbulent phase.