In recent times, besides Ma Xingrui, a member of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party, another high-ranking official, Li Xi, the Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and a member of the Political Bureau, has been out of the public eye for a while, sparking various rumors and speculation.
On November 28, the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party held consecutive meetings and collective study sessions. As usual, the meetings of the Political Bureau are only reported in text without live coverage. However, in CCTV’s report on the collective study session of the Political Bureau, it was shown that both Li Xi and Ma Xingrui were absent.
On December 8, the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party held a meeting to analyze and discuss the economic work for 2026 and review the so-called “Comprehensive Governance of the Country According to the Law” regulations of the Chinese Communist Party. The official media reports of this meeting only included text without any live coverage.
A commentator known for exposing internal struggles within the Chinese Communist Party, Jiang Wangzheng, stated on an overseas platform on December 8 that, according to reliable sources, Li Xi and Ma Xingrui were once again absent from the Political Bureau meeting.
Although the news of Li and Ma’s absence from the Political Bureau meeting could not be verified, observers noted that the content of this year-end Political Bureau meeting did not follow past practices.
Since Xi Jinping came to power, it has been customary for Xinhua to mention that before the Political Bureau meeting at the end of each year, Xi Jinping presides over a meeting of the Political Bureau Standing Committee to listen to reports on the work of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission for the current year and prepare for the work of the following year. However, this year’s Political Bureau meeting on December 8 did not mention the convening of the Political Bureau Standing Committee.
Furthermore, in past year-end Political Bureau meetings, besides analyzing and discussing the economic work for the following year, they also deployed anti-corruption work for the next year and confirmed the specific date of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection plenary session. However, the agenda of this Political Bureau meeting did not mention anti-corruption efforts nor did it specify the date for the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection plenary session next year. According to convention, the fifth plenary session of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection should take place in January 2026.
Renowned self-media figure Zhang Tianliang stated in a program that the anomalies indicated possible major issues within the disciplinary system’s work.
Political commentator Zhong Yuan wrote on December 9 that various signs suggested that there could be a major problem in the disciplinary system or that Li Xi himself might have encountered some problems.
Li Xi has not been seen since attending a symposium commemorating the 110th anniversary of Hu Yaobang’s birth on November 20.
Ma Xingrui, who also missed important events around the same time as Li Xi, has not taken on a new role since being removed as the Secretary of Xinjiang in July of this year, with official statements only mentioning “another appointment.” During his time as the Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, Li Xi and Ma Xingrui worked together for four years, with Ma serving as the governor.
Following the conclusion of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in October of this year, key members of Xi Jinping’s close circle, such as Fang Hongwei, Secretary of the Xi’an Municipal Party Committee, and Chen Weijun, Deputy Governor of Xinjiang, were dismissed. Jiang Wangzheng revealed that the main reason for Chen Weijun’s downfall was related to issues during his time governing Wenzhou and Xinjiang. After arriving in Xinjiang, Chen Weijun aligned himself with Ma Xingrui, who was then the Secretary of Xinjiang.
On December 7, Jiang Wangzheng leaked information that Ma Xingrui’s case was being handled directly by the Vice Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Liu Jinguo; Li Xi and his family were implicated in Ma Xingrui’s case; and 51 high-ranking officials with ministerial or vice-ministerial ranks were involved, suggesting that Ma Xingrui’s case had reached into a significant portion of Xi Jinping’s inner circle.
Jiang Wangzheng claimed that during Ma Xingrui’s four years in Xinjiang, he managed funds totaling 3.3 trillion yuan for Xinjiang’s construction, of which he embezzled 100 billion yuan. However, Ma Xingrui did not monopolize this money but shared it with Li Xi and Peng Liyuan. He also mentioned that Ma Xingrui’s wife, Li Xi’s wife, and Gao Shiwen, Deputy Secretary of Nanchang, Jiangxi, bought entire buildings in Hong Kong and vast expanses of gas stations and land overseas.
The veracity of these allegations has yet to be confirmed.
Following the arrest of Evergrande’s chairman Hui Ka Yan, independent commentator Du Zheng wrote in a Taiwanese media outlet that Hui Ka Yan likely provided a long list of names. Besides the former governor of Guangdong, Ma Xingrui, Li Xi and previous leaders of Guangdong during the period when Evergrande rose to prominence might have some intertwined interests. Li Xi may have been the first to act by apprehending Hui Ka Yan to seize control.
Independent commentator Cai Shenkun analyzed in a YouTube program on December 9 that Ma Xingrui and Li Xi worked together in Guangdong, with Li Xi serving as the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee while Ma Xingrui was the governor. Ma Xingrui’s wife, Rong Li, and Li Xi’s wife had been in business together for a long time. The extent of their corruption and inner dealings remains to be investigated, with final conclusions possibly implicating the “anti-corruption general” Li Xi.
He suggested, “If it points to Li Xi, then clearly there will be quite a spectacle to watch… Li Xi has been in office for less than half a term, and if Ma Xingrui’s issues are involved, it is highly likely that there is a powerful force within the Party using various means to purge a group of individuals that Xi Jinping has heavily relied on.”
Chinese affairs expert Wang He remarked that if both Li Xi and Ma Xingrui were to fall from power, it would be a significant blow to Xi Jinping. This presents a major issue related to adjusting the highest levels of power, but the true situation still needs to be closely observed.
China’s Vice President Han Zheng had been out of the public eye for over a month since attending the Second World Summit on Social Development in Doha, Qatar, on November 4, leading to various speculations. It wasn’t until December 8 that Xinhua reported of Han Zheng meeting the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Beijing.
In recent years, high-ranking officials of the Chinese Communist Party have frequently disappeared for a period for unknown reasons but have later reappeared. It is generally assumed that when senior Party officials go missing, it may be due to issues in power struggles or health concerns.