Third Politburo Member Falls Since 20th Congress: Ma Xingrui Expelled Amid Xi's Purge

Ma Xingrui, a prominent Politburo member and former party chief of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, has been expelled from the Communist Party and removed from public office. The announcement by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission on July 14 marks a significant political development.

This expulsion makes Ma the third Politburo member to be removed or fall from grace during the current term since the 20th Party Congress. This tally is the highest for any single party congress term since the end of the Cultural Revolution, highlighting President Xi Jinping's ongoing efforts to consolidate power and purge potential rivals within the party's highest echelons.

Ma, once lauded as a "young marshal of aerospace," had a career rooted in China's aerospace industry, where he led major projects like the manned space program. He later served in various high-profile roles, including vice minister of industry and information technology, governor of Guangdong province, and party chief of Xinjiang. His fall is seen as a blow to the group of technocrats with military-industrial backgrounds whom Xi had previously promoted.

The political maneuvering comes as China prepares for a new round of provincial party committee elections later this year, which will lay the groundwork for personnel arrangements in the upcoming 21st Party Congress. The continued high-level personnel changes in the Politburo are drawing international attention to a potential reshuffling of power within the top leadership.