On April 3, 2026, Ma Xingrui, a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Political Bureau, was officially announced to have fallen from power. It was revealed for the first time by the authorities that he had served as the Deputy Head of the Central Rural Work Leading Group. Prior to Ma Xingrui, Chen Quanguo, the former Party Secretary of Xinjiang, and Yuan Chunqing, the former Party Secretary of Shanxi Province, had also been demoted to the position of Deputy Head of the Central Rural Work Leading Group.
According to the Xinhua News Agency on April 3, 2026, Ma Xingrui, a member of the CCP Central Political Bureau and Deputy Head of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, is under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law”.
Since being removed from his position as Party Secretary of Xinjiang in July 2025, Ma Xingrui had been described by the authorities as having “other appointments”, but his role as Deputy Head of the Central Rural Work Leading Group had not been publicly disclosed before.
In the past thirty years, tradition dictates that the Deputy Head of the Central Rural Work Leading Group of the CCP is usually appointed from the Vice Premier of the State Council in charge of agricultural and rural work. In addition to senior officials in agriculture, several other “great frontier officials” have been demoted to this position.
Chen Quanguo, the predecessor of Ma Xingrui as Party Secretary of Xinjiang, was removed from office in December 2021. It was stated by the authorities at that time that he had “other appointments”. This occurred in the midst of the exposure of the dark practices in Xinjiang’s “re-education camps”, attracting international attention and leading to sanctions by the United States against Chen Quanguo and other officials in Xinjiang.
In June 2022, Chen Quanguo appeared in his capacity as a member of the CCP Central Political Bureau and Deputy Head of the Central Rural Work Leading Group.
During the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October 2022, Chen Quanguo, who was less than 67 years old, did not get re-elected as a member of the Political Bureau and also did not secure a position in either the National People’s Congress or the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
At that time, external analysis indicated that compared to the career paths of the previous two Party Secretaries of Xinjiang, Wang Lequan and Zhang Chunxian, the demotion of Chen Quanguo was quite apparent.
In August 2016, two months after then-Party Secretary of Xinjiang Zhang Chunxian was removed from office, he was revealed in his new roles as Deputy Head of the CCP Central Party Building Leading Group and Deputy Head of the Central Xinjiang Work Coordination Group while conducting research in Shaanxi. Wang Lequan, who was removed from the position of Party Secretary of Xinjiang in April 2010, was subsequently transferred to serve as the Deputy Secretary of the CCP Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission.
Looking at the new positions held by the three individuals upon returning to Beijing, it can be observed that both Wang Lequan and Zhang Chunxian served under members of the National Political Bureau as part of their jobs, whereas Chen Quanguo, who entered the Central Rural Work Leading Group, was led by Vice National Political Bureau member and Vice Premier Hu Chunhua.
In terms of their final outcomes, Wang Lequan exited at the age of 67 and later became the President of the CCP Law Society; Zhang Chunxian exited at the age of 64 and subsequently served as the Vice Chairman of the National People’s Congress; while Chen Quanguo, who was below 67 years old, withdrew shortly after the 20th National Congress.
In December 2014, Ling Jihua, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Minister of the United Front Work Department, fell from power. During this period, his hometown in Shanxi underwent a thorough cleansing of officials, impacting Ling Jihua’s younger brother, Ling Zhengce, and other high-ranking officials in Shanxi.
In September 2014, Yuan Chunqing was removed from the position of Party Secretary of Shanxi Province and transferred to become the Deputy Head of the CCP Central Rural Work Leading Group.
Following the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October 2017, Yuan Chunqing stepped down as the Deputy Head of the Central Rural Work Leading Group and did not follow the customary practice for provincial and ministerial level officials to transition to positions in the National People’s Congress or the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.