On July 1st, Xinhua News Agency reported that the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has decided that Ma Xingrui will no longer concurrently serve as the Party Secretary, Standing Committee Member, and Member of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and he will be replaced by Chen Xiaojiang in his duties.
Ma Xingrui is considered to be one of the key confidants of CPC leader Xi Jinping and is also one of the 24 members of the 20th CPC Political Bureau. As a key official guarding the northwest frontier, Ma Xingrui’s sudden change in duties in Xinjiang, where no major incidents have occurred, has attracted widespread attention.
I believe this is another significant blow to Xi Jinping’s power.
Ma Xingrui’s appointment to Xinjiang was a special arrangement in Xi’s personnel layout before the 20th CPC National Congress.
Ma Xingrui, a graduate in technical expertise, obtained his doctoral degree from Harbin Institute of Technology. He worked at HIT for eight years, becoming the youngest doctoral supervisor and serving as vice president of the institute. Subsequently, Ma Xingrui worked in the CPC’s military-industrial complex for 17 years, holding positions such as Deputy Director at China Aerospace Corporation Fifth Academy, Vice General Manager at China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and General Manager.
Since Xi came to power in 2012, he has appointed a group of technocrats from the military-industrial complex, and Ma Xingrui was one of them.
Under Xi’s arrangement, Ma Xingrui gained experience working in central government departments, serving as Deputy Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Director of the National Space Administration, Director of the National Nuclear Agency, Director of the National Defense Science and Technology Industry Bureau in March 2013; experienced working in developed coastal provinces and cities, serving as Deputy Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Political and Legal Committee, Secretary of the Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee, and Governor of Guangdong Province starting in November 2013. In December 2021, Xi transferred Ma Xingrui from the Southeast coast to the Northwest frontier, replacing Chen Quanguo as the Party Secretary of Xinjiang. Ma Xingrui thus gained experience as an official in charge of the frontier in the Northwest. In October of the same year, Xi promoted and appointed Ma Xingrui as a member of the 20th CPC Political Bureau.
If nothing unexpected happens, Ma Xingrui may become one of the candidates for the Standing Committee of the 21st CPC National Congress.
However, Ma Xingrui’s sudden removal from the position of Party Secretary of Xinjiang after serving for three and a half years may be related to the investigation and “disappearance” of a group of senior officials in the CPC’s military-industrial system over the past two years.
In 2023 and 2024, with the outbreak of the Rocket Army corruption case, a group of senior officials from the Central Military Commission’s Equipment Development Department fell from grace, and several high-ranking officials from military-industrial enterprises were either investigated or “disappeared.”
For example, former Chairman of China Aerospace Corporation Tan Ruisong, Vice General Manager of China Ordnance Equipment Group Liu Weidong, Vice General Manager of China Electronic Technology Group He Wenzhong, were investigated for serious violations of discipline and law.
Some high-ranking officials from military-industrial enterprises had their qualifications as members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference revoked, including former Chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Wu Yansheng, former Chairman of China Ordnance Industry Group Liu Shiquan, former Vice General Manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group Wang Changqing, former Director of China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology Wang Xiaojun, former Chief Engineer of the Rocket Army Equipment Research Institute Xiao Longxu.
Wu Yansheng, Liu Shiquan, Wang Xiaojun, and Xiao Longxu are now in a “disappeared” state.
The positions of former Chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group Yuan Jie and former General Manager of China Ordnance Equipment Group Chen Guoying have been replaced by others, and these two individuals are also in a “disappeared” state.
Former Vice General Manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group and later Anhui Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee member and Hefei City Party Secretary Zhang Hongwen, former Vice General Manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group and later Minister of Industry and Information Technology Jin Zhuanglong, have been dismissed from their positions. These two individuals are also in a “disappeared” state.
During his 17-year tenure in the military-industrial system, Ma Xingrui had interactions with many senior officials from the system. For example, Wu Yansheng, Yuan Jie, and Xu Dazhe all served as Deputy General Managers when Ma Xingrui was the General Manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group. Ma Xingrui had a long-standing relationship with Xu Dazhe.
On March 19, 2013, Ma Xingrui was appointed as Deputy Minister of Industry and Information Technology. In April of the same year, Xu Dazhe succeeded Ma Xingrui as Chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group. In December of the same year, Xu Dazhe once again succeeded Ma Xingrui as Deputy Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Director of the National Space Administration, Director of the National Nuclear Agency, Director of the National Defense Science and Technology Industry Bureau.
Xu Dazhe has been “disappeared” since November of last year and has been missing for more than eight months now.
Before the job reversal between Shi Taifeng and Li Ganjie, Xi encountered an even greater blow, as two of his top confidants in the military, CPC Political Bureau Member and First Deputy Chairman of the Central Military Commission He Weidong, and CPC Political Bureau Member and Director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission Miao Hua, were both investigated.
Although He Weidong’s downfall has not been officially announced, based on domestic and foreign reports, it seems certain that He Weidong has fallen out of favor.
He Weidong was known as the left arm of Xi in the military, while Miao Hua was known as the right arm of Xi. With both Xi’s left and right arms broken, what does this mean? It means that Xi’s military power has waned.
Military authority is crucial to Xi. With his military power diminished, it means that Xi’s central position as the “paramount leader” is no longer secure, and he is now merely a performer in the spotlight.
The one who is truly in control of military power should be Xi’s military confidant, CPC Political Bureau Member and First Deputy Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia.
It is rumored that since Xi suddenly suffered a stroke and was hospitalized at the CPC Third Plenary Session in July of last year, some CPC elders, senior military officers, and some second-generation reds who were dissatisfied with Xi’s chaotic domestic and foreign policies have fully supported Zhang Youxia, the First Deputy Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and others to launch a power-cutting action against Xi.
From that time, retired former CPC Political Bureau Standing Committee Member and Premier of the State Council Wen Jiabao, current CPC Political Bureau Member and First Deputy Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia, have become key factors in the Chinese political scene. A wave of power-cutting actions against Xi have been launched, one after another.
The sudden transfer of Xi’s close confidant, Ma Xingrui, indicates the latest wave of power-cutting actions against Xi.
It is expected that at the upcoming Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee in the second half of this year, power-cutting actions against Xi may temporarily come to a halt. At that time, there may be results regarding Xi’s future.
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