Ma Xingrui Accused of Allowing Misconduct by Close Aides; Hong Kong Media Names Personal Secretary Li Guanglu

(Central News Agency, Taipei, 15th) The Chinese Communist Party recently expelled Ma Xingrui, a former member of the Politburo and former Party Secretary of Xinjiang, from the Party and public office (a 'double dismissal'), citing his failure to supervise and manage close associates during his tenure. Hong Kong's Ming Pao reported today that the official reference is to Li Guanglu, Ma Xingrui's longtime personal secretary.

State media Xinhua reported yesterday that the Political Bureau of the Central Committee reviewed and approved on June 30 the report by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on the investigation into Ma Xingrui and the proposed disciplinary measures. According to the通报, Ma Xingrui 'tolerated, failed to supervise, and mismanaged serious violations of discipline, illegal acts, and suspected criminal activities by staff close to him, causing negative impact; he allowed and enabled relatives to exploit his official position for massive personal gains, engaging in large-scale family corruption.'

Ming Pao's report states that the 'staff close to him' refers specifically to Li Guanglu, who served as Ma Xingrui's personal secretary for many years. Li Guanglu, originally from the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department, served as Ma's 'personal secretary' throughout Ma's tenure in Guangdong and Xinjiang. It is widely rumored that Li was 'reckless and lawless' and was arrested the day after Ma left Xinjiang.

Before Ma Xingrui's official downfall, several of his former subordinates had already encountered trouble. Among them, Guo Yonghang, Ma's 'chief secretary' when Ma served as Shenzhen Party Secretary, fell from grace in March this year. Gao Shiwen, who previously served as Ma's secretary at the Aerospace Science and Technology Group and is now Mayor of Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, has been 'missing' since February and his official biography was removed from the Nanchang municipal government website last month.

Regarding Ma Xingrui's 'family corruption,' the report indicates primary involvement by his wife, Rong Li, and his younger brother, Ma Xingquan.

The report notes that Ma Xingrui was born into a mining family in Shuangyashan, Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China. In recent years, he has maintained frequent interactions with Guangdong-based enterprises. Several Guangdong companies have donated to Shuangyashan and sought cooperation, with Ma Xingquan—Ma Xingrui's younger brother, a member of the Shuangyashan Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee, and known as 'Lao Wu'—acting as the intermediary.

Mainland media previously reported that Ma Xingrui's wife, Rong Li, was his classmate and groupmate at Fuxin Mining Institute, and the two married while Ma was a graduate student.

67-year-old Ma Xingrui, a technocrat by background, formerly served as Deputy Commander of China's Manned Space Program and was known as the 'Young Marshal of Aerospace.'

In March 2013, Ma left the defense industry to become a government official; in November of the same year, he was transferred to Guangdong, where he successively served as Deputy Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, Party Secretary of Shenzhen, and Governor of Guangdong Province. In December 2021, Ma was promoted to Party Secretary of Xinjiang, and in October 2022, he entered the Politburo through the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, once seen as a rising political star with great potential.

After stepping down as Xinjiang Party Secretary in July last year, Ma rarely appeared in public. In April this year, officials announced that Ma was under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and law. Two months later, his status as a National People's Congress representative was terminated. (Edited by: Zhou Huiying / Qiu Guoqiang) 1150715