Former Guangdong Provincial Committee Standing Committee Member and Guangzhou Municipal Committee Secretary, Guo Yonghang, who was recently relieved of his duties, confirmed yesterday (January 25) that he has been transferred to the so-called “retirement job” within the CPPCC system as a leader of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Guo Yonghang, who was formerly the chief secretary of current Politburo member Ma Xingrui, has been under speculation since Ma Xingrui was removed from his post as Party Secretary of Xinjiang in July last year.
The 13th plenary session of the Guangdong CPPCC opened in Guangzhou yesterday (January 25). When the official media listed the high-ranking officials seated on the podium, after the Chairman of the Provincial CPPCC, Lin Keqing, a list of 12 “Guangdong Province CPPCC leaders” was presented, with Guo Yonghang ranked ninth, following the current Vice Chairman of the Guangdong Provincial CPPCC, Wen Guohui.
At the 15th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th Guangdong Provincial CPPCC on January 24, Guo Yonghang was appointed as a member of the Guangdong Provincial CPPCC.
According to the usual practice of the Chinese Communist Party, Guo Yonghang should have been the Vice Chairman of the Guangdong Provincial CPPCC. Both positions in the CPPCC and the National People’s Congress are considered as retirement jobs in the officialdom, which means Guo has voluntarily withdrawn to the second line.
Previously, on December 24, 2025, official reports stated that Guo Yonghang was removed from his positions as a Standing Committee Member of the Guangdong Provincial Committee and Secretary of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee, citing “another appointment by the central authorities.”
Born in 1965 in Jiyang, Shandong Province, Guo Yonghang has been working in Guangdong for a long time. Speculation arose following his dismissal due to his close relationship with Ma Xingrui, particularly during Ma’s administration in Shenzhen and their shared Shandong background.
After Ma Xingrui was removed from his position as Party Secretary of Xinjiang on July 1, 2025, he has been absent from various high-level Chinese Communist Party meetings, including collective learning sessions of the Politburo, the Central Economic Work Conference, Politburo democratic life meetings, and the recent opening ceremony of a provincial and ministerial-level seminar, fueling rumors about his situation.
Independent commentator Cai Shunkun once posted speculation online that Guo Yonghang, known as Ma Xingrui’s “boy,” had climbed the ranks with Ma Xingrui during his leadership in Guangdong, and with Ma facing investigation, Guo’s career has come to an end. If he is fortunate, he may find a position to retire in the provincial People’s Congress or the provincial CPPCC.