On October 31, 2026, Liu Ji, the 57-year-old Party Secretary of Huizhou, Guangdong Province, was officially removed from his position, leaving his future career path uncertain. Following Liu’s dismissal, his former deputy, Yu Jinfeng, also fell from grace, and several juniors from his administration were placed under investigation. Notably, Huang Weidong, the 52-year-old Secretary of the Huizhou Discipline Inspection Commission, was demoted to a less significant role.
Liu Ji is recognized as a key figure aligned with Hu Chunhua, a prominent member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and former Politburo Standing Committee member. Both men hail from Hubei province, establishing a historical connection between them. Liu had a notable eight-year working relationship with Ma Xingrui, a member of the Politburo who was also recently implicated in corruption scandals. The purges in Huizhou’s political landscape, particularly Liu’s removal and the subsequent shake-up, suggest potential internal power struggles within the upper echelons of the CCP.
According to Huizhou Daily, on November 4, 2026, a meeting of the Huizhou Municipal People’s Congress Standing Committee was held, during which Liu’s resignation from his post as the director of the Huizhou Municipal People’s Congress was accepted. Concurrently, the request for Chen Yuhang, the former mayor of Huizhou, to resign was also approved, and Wang Bin was subsequently promoted to the position of mayor on November 6.
The official announcement from the Guangdong provincial government on October 31 revealed that the Provincial Party Committee had appointed Chen Yuhang as the new Party Secretary of Huizhou. Liu Ji was mentioned as no longer holding the role of Party Secretary, a member of the Standing Committee, or Committee member, with the statement that he would be “reassigned to another position.” However, as of nearly two weeks following his removal, no details regarding his new assignment have emerged.
Liu was born in May 1969 in Macheng, Hubei, and earned a bachelor’s degree in hydraulic engineering from Wuhan University of Water Resources and Electric Power, followed by a master’s degree in management economics from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He began his career in December 1993, holding various positions within the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission and the Economic Planning Commission.
During Wang Yang’s tenure as the Party Secretary of Guangdong from December 2007 to December 2012, Liu was promoted in February 2009 from Director of the Inspection Office of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission to Director of the Investment Division. By September 2009, he had advanced to the role of Chief Economist and Party Group member of the Commission.
Under Hu Chunhua’s leadership as Party Secretary from December 2012 to October 2017, Liu continued to climb the ranks. He became the Deputy Director of the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission in September 2013 and later assumed roles such as Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Office and Deputy Secretary-General of the Provincial Party Committee.
After the 19th National Congress of the CCP, Liu transitioned to serving as the Deputy Party Secretary of Huizhou in April 2018, subsequently becoming the mayor two months later and rising to Party Secretary in October 2021.
Ma Xingrui, who served as the Deputy Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee and later became the Governor, was instrumental in Liu’s career growth, particularly during Ma’s association with Hu Chunhua. However, following accusations of corruption, Ma was expelled from the party in November 2026 and received a criminal indictment.
The political landscape in Guangdong and Xinjiang has undergone ongoing purges, with numerous officials linked to Ma being investigated and dismissed. This included several high-ranking officials who once collaborated with Liu.
Just ten days after Liu’s dismissal, on November 10, 2026, Yu Jinfeng, Liu’s former deputy, was announced to have been removed from his position as mayor of Yangjiang. Yu had a history of working within the Guangdong provincial trade and business sectors before being appointed as the Deputy Mayor of Huizhou in 2016 and later advanced to significant roles, ultimately serving as the Deputy Secretary of the Huizhou Municipal Committee.
Significantly, on October 11, 2026, just twenty days prior to Liu’s removal, reports indicated that Zhang Jianguo had been appointed to a key position within the Huizhou Municipal Committee. Concurrently, Huang Weidong, previously the Secretary of the Huizhou Discipline Inspection Commission, was also demoted to a lesser role within Zhongshan City, highlighting the rapid shifts within this region’s governance.
Liu served in senior positions within Huizhou for nearly eight and a half years, during which he oversaw various initiatives and developments before facing scrutiny associated with a larger wave of investigations targeting officials from his administration.
In the first half of 2026 alone, Huizhou’s disciplinary authorities reportedly opened 1,029 cases involving violations, with numerous officials being disciplined, indicating a relentless crackdown on corruption within the local government.
As Liu Ji reflects on his career trajectory post-dismissal, the political ramifications of his connections to Hu Chunhua and Ma Xingrui cast a long shadow over his future prospects. Parallel to this, the abrupt removal of Liu’s close associates raises questions about the continuing impact of internal power dynamics within the CCP and the fate of those previously aligned with fallen leaders.
The outcome of this political drama is yet to unfold, but Liu Ji’s case will serve as a critical lens for observers monitoring shifts in the balance of power within China’s political landscape and the ongoing fate of several key figures impacted by these high-profile purges.