Chinese authorities have expelled former Politburo member Ma Xingrui from the Communist Party and dismissed him from public office following an extensive anti-corruption investigation. Officials allege Ma engaged in rampant family corruption, abused his power for personal financial gain, and failed to properly supervise his staff, marking a high-level political downfall. Ma, 67, who once headed China’s new-generation carrier rocket programme, became the third member of the Politburo—the ruling party’s elite political body—to come under investigation in the current term that began in 2022, a situation unseen in decades.
Corruption Charges and Misconduct Findings
The investigation into Ma Xingrui concluded that the former senior official had systematically abandoned his political responsibilities. The Politburo reviewed and approved the report on Ma’s cases by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the ruling party’s top disciplinary and anti-corruption body, on June 30, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. Ma was found to have “lost his ideals and beliefs”, abandoned “his political conviction”, “betrayed the party’s principles and original mission” and “seriously violated [the party’s] political discipline and rules”.
The disciplinary findings are extensive, detailing a pattern of behavior that persisted well after the 18th Party Congress, when President Xi Jinping announced his sweeping anti-corruption campaign and strict official conduct rules. Investigators found that Ma permitted his relatives to exploit his official status for profit, a practice described as fostering rampant corruption across his family. The Xinhua statement said, “He distorted public power (entrusted to him) into a tool for personal gain, using his position to seek benefits for others in business operations, project contracting and job promotions.” It added that Ma, via family members or associates, had been illegally accepting huge amounts of money and property.
According to the CCDI’s charges, the investigation also uncovered that Ma accepted gifts and cash, assisted family members in purchasing real estate at below-market prices, and engaged in power-for-sex and power-for-money transactions. Furthermore, he “neglected to supervise and manage the serious violations of (party) discipline and law and suspected crimes committed by his staff,” resulting in severe consequences. Ma also did not truthfully confess his corruption problems during the party’s initial inquiries, the CCDI said.
Professional Background and Political Rise
Ma’s career was defined by a transition from aerospace engineering to high-level political administration. A native of Shandong province, he joined the Party in January 1988 and began his career in March of that year. Formerly an aerospace engineer, he held several key positions in the sector. From 1996 to 2012, he occupied senior roles at the China Academy of Space Technology and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. In 2013, he was appointed to several important positions, including vice-minister of industry and information technology, head of the China National Space Administration, and director of the China Atomic Energy Authority.
His move into regional governance began in 2013 in Guangdong province, where he became deputy party secretary after a brief stint at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. He went on to become party secretary of Shenzhen, provincial vice-governor and, in 2017, provincial governor. From 2021 to 2025, he served as Party secretary of Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Ma, 66, also served as the deputy head of the Leading Group for Rural Affairs of the CPC Central Committee.
Disciplinary Consequences and Judicial Referral
The official response to Ma’s actions has been swift and severe. Following the approval of the CCDI’s report, Ma was stripped of his party membership and removed from all public roles. Authorities stated that his conduct was extremely serious in nature and (he was) an extremely bad influence. His ill-gotten gains would be confiscated and Ma handed over to the judiciary to face trial. His suspected crimes, along with the assets involved, have been transferred to prosecutors for further review.
The investigation confirmed several specific areas of misconduct:
- Power-for-money transactions: Engaging in illegal exchanges for business operations and project contracts.
- Personnel manipulation: Intervening with personnel decisions, including “seeking benefits for others in cadre selection and appointment, and improperly arranging jobs for others, personally and through relatives.”
- Supervisory failure: Neglecting to manage the misconduct and criminal activities of his own staff.
- Family exploitation: Assisting relatives in purchasing real estate at below-market prices and using official influence for illicit gains.
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