China expels Politburo member Ma

China has expelled Ma Xingrui, a former Politburo member, from the ruling Communist Party on corruption charges, marking the third member purged since 2025. According to Yahoo News, Ma was placed under investigation in April over suspected "serious violation of law and discipline" - the party's euphemism for corruption.

Ma's expulsion is part of President Xi Jinping's intensified anti-corruption drive, which has ensnared senior party, government, and military officials. As reported by Straitstimes, this is the widest purge of the Politburo in a single term since the Cultural Revolution years when the Gang of Four political faction was probed in 1976.

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Ma, who also served as the deputy head of the central rural work leading group, 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", according to Channel News Asia. He was also accused of improperly accepting gifts and money, helping relatives purchase houses at low prices, and engaging in "power-for-sex and money-for-sex transactions".

The investigation into Ma follows the probe of another Politburo member and China's top general Zhang Youxia in January, as reported by Independent. The expulsion of He Weidong from the ruling party for corruption last year reduced the 24-member Politburo to 23.

Analysts say that Ma's downfall is a significant event in China's political arena, and that the timing of the announcement is likely linked to the current situation within the Chinese Communist Party and its ongoing power struggles, according to Theepochtimes.

Ma's case has also raised questions about what happens to purged CCP officials. As explained by Foreign Policy, once a purge target such as Ma is formally investigated, they face a bleak process of interrogation and punishment.

Despite the anti-corruption campaign, analysts say that it has not worked, and that the Communist Party's promotions system is not functioning properly, according to Semafor. The campaign may be meeting an unstated goal of "keeping officials loyal and on their toes", but it has not rooted out corruption.

Ma's expulsion from the Communist Party is a significant development in China's ongoing anti-corruption efforts. As Devdiscourse reports, Ma was accused of a range of corruption offenses, including influencing the appointment of officials for personal gain and engaging in transactions involving power and money for sex.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) found that Ma had "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", according to Channel News Asia. The CCDI also accused Ma of intervening with personnel decisions, "seeking benefits for others in cadre selection and appointment, and improperly arranging jobs for others, personally and through relatives".

Ma's conduct was deemed "extremely serious in nature and (he was) an extremely bad influence", and his illegal gains will be confiscated, according to the CCDI's report. He will be handed over to the judiciary to face trial.

The expulsion of Ma Xingrui from the Communist Party is a significant blow to the party's leadership. As Straitstimes reports, Ma's downfall reduces the Politburo to its smallest size since 1999, when one official died, leaving the group with just 21 members.