ISTANBUL
A senior Chinese leader, Ma Xingrui, is under investigation by China’s anti-corruption watchdog, state media reported on Friday, marking the latest development in a widening crackdown within the ruling Communist Party.
Ma, formerly the Communist Party chief of Xinjiang, is the third member of the elite Politburo to face investigation since the current leadership term began in 2022, according to state-run Xinhua News.
Ma, who also serves as deputy head of the Central Committee’s Leading Group for Rural Affairs, is under investigation by the party’s top anti-graft body, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and the National Commission of Supervision for suspected serious violations of discipline and law, the statement said.
The probe comes amid a broader purge across China’s political and military establishment.
He Weidong, a former vice chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), was expelled from the party and military last year as part of the same campaign.
Earlier in January, Zhang Youxia, another vice-chairman of the CMC, was placed under investigation for suspected serious violation of Party disciplines and laws.
He and Zhang were both members of the Politburo, which was reduced to 21 members from its original 24.
Recent investigations have also shaken the top ranks of the People’s Liberation Army, leaving the seven-member CMC, chaired by Xi Jinping, with only two active members.
Several senior figures, including former Defense Minister Li Shangfu and top generals, have been removed or investigated for alleged “serious violations of discipline,” a term commonly used to denote corruption.