On the morning of September 3, the performance of current and retired senior Communist Party officials at the military parade in Beijing became a hot topic among the public. Former Chinese President Wang Qishan was seen smiling at the Tiananmen Gate, while Ma Xingrui, who has retired as the Party secretary of Xinjiang with an uncertain future, appeared burdened with worries.
The live broadcast from China’s state television showed 15 former high-ranking Communist Party officials, including Li Ruihuan, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Zeng Qinghong, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan, and Zhang Gaoli, gathered at the Tiananmen Gate. Former General Secretary Hu Jintao and former Premier Zhu Rongji were notably absent.
In the footage, Wang Qishan seemed jovial and had a smile on his face at the event.
During the CCP’s “October 1” reception on September 30, 2024, Wang Qishan did not wear a smiling face.
After Xi Jinping came to power, he initiated a selective anti-corruption campaign, with Wang Qishan serving as one of Xi’s key anti-corruption allies. However, at the CCP’s 19th National Congress in 2017, Wang Qishan, who was highly speculated to continue, retired from the Central Committee and as the Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. In March 2018, Wang Qishan became the first Vice President without any position within the Communist Party since 1998.
Following Wang Qishan’s appointment as Vice President, several of his former colleagues encountered legal troubles. For example, Dong Hong, the former vice head of the Central Inspection Commission whom Wang Qishan once worked with, was sentenced to death with a reprieve for bribery in 2022. Additionally, Tian Huiyu, Wang Qishan’s secretary during his time at the Construction Bank and the former president of China Merchants Bank, was also given a death sentence with a reprieve. On October 10, 2024, Fan Yifei, the former deputy governor of the Central Bank, was also sentenced to death with a reprieve. Fan Yifei served as the financial controller during Wang Qishan’s tenure as president of the Construction Bank.
Wang Qishan officially retired in March 2023. By October 2024, there were rumors circulating, possibly originating from what seemed to be a CCP-affiliated Hong Kong news outlet, claiming that Wang Qishan was “placed under soft detention outside his residence in Beijing on the night of October 7.” However, later that month, Wang Qishan was appointed as the honorary chairman of the Advisory Committee of Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management, confirming his safety.
Zou Jiayi, who became the President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in June, and Chen Xiaojiang, who took over as the Party secretary of Xinjiang in July following Ma Xingrui’s departure, are both former associates of Wang Qishan, signaling a resurgence of his influence.
During the military parade on September 3, official media footage showed Ma Xingrui, a member of the Central Political Bureau, looking solemn, seemingly burdened with worries, clenching his fists and wiping his sweat with his hands.
Ma Xingrui is considered a key confidant of Xi Jinping. Unexpectedly, on July 1 of this year, Ma Xingrui was announced to no longer hold the position of Party secretary in Xinjiang, with a cryptic notice of “other arrangements.” He has not reached retirement age, and his term had not yet ended. Since being transferred from Xinjiang, his future trajectory remains unclear.
Ma Xingrui and Xi Jinping’s wife, Peng Liyuan, are natives of the same village in Yuncheng, Shandong. The Financial Times once cited insiders revealing that Ma Xingrui has close family ties with Peng Liyuan, frequently visiting Xi’s family even before Xi Jinping took office, making him one of the high-ranking officials closest to Xi.
After Ma Xingrui’s unusual dismissal, speculations arose regarding his involvement in corrupt practices within the aerospace sector and corruption among officials in Guangdong and Xinjiang. Commentator Du Zheng published on Taiwan’s “United Daily News” on July 27, stating that according to sources in the Guangzhou official circles, the root of Ma Xingrui’s issue lies in Guangdong. There are rumors circulating locally that after Evergrande’s chairman Xu Jiayin lost his freedom, he provided a list of numerous high-ranking officials, including Ma Xingrui, to the authorities.
Many analysts currently believe that Ma Xingrui may follow the path of his predecessors Zhang Chunxian and Chen Quanguo, transitioning to a senior position within the Central government. An independent political commentator, Cai Shenkun, revealed on an overseas platform earlier that Ma Xingrui has already commenced his duties at the Central Rural Work Leading Group but his new official position has not yet been officially announced. It is said that Ma Xingrui is also cooperating with the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection’s investigation into his wife. Whether he will pass the investigation remains uncertain; however, it’s almost certain that Ma Xingrui’s career has essentially come to an end.