China Expels Politburo Member Ma Xingrui, Cutting Top Body to 21
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 14
China Expels Politburo Member Ma Xingrui, Cutting Top Body to 21
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 14
Summary
Ma Xingrui was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo on Tuesday, accused of corruption and abusing his power for favors and sex.
The move makes Ma the third Politburo member ousted under Xi Jinping, extending an anti-corruption campaign deeper into China’s top leadership.
The Politburo now has 21 members after the removals of Ma, He Weidong and Zhang Youxia, marking the deepest purge of the body since rules set in the 1980s.
Ma’s fall is especially striking because the former Xinjiang party secretary had long been seen as a rising elite figure with an engineer-scientist background.
The purge underscores Xi’s use of high-level disciplinary action to tighten control over senior officials once considered largely untouchable.