Xinjiang Party Chief, Another Xi Jinping Loyalist, Steps Down
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Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities have announced a leadership reshuffle in the far western Xinjiang region, replacing Ma Xingrui—a confidant of Xi Jinping—with a political figure aligned with former anti-corruption czar Wang Qishan.
Ma, 66, the outgoing Party chief, is a native of Yuncheng in Shandong Province, the same hometown as Xi’s wife, singer Peng Liyuan. Holding a PhD in mechanics, Ma previously served as vice president of the Harbin Institute of Technology and is considered a classic technocrat.
Before entering politics, Ma held senior roles in China’s aerospace sector beginning in 1996 and was promoted in 2007 to general manager of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
Ma assumed his post as Xinjiang’s top official in December 2021. During his tenure, exiled Uyghurs and human rights groups condemned him for intensifying repression in the region, including expanded forced labor, cultural erasure, and transnational persecution of the Uyghur minority.
Xinhua News Agency released only a brief statement on July 1 regarding the leadership change. As for Ma’s future role, it said merely that he “would receive another appointment,” without offering further details—an omission that is uncommon in official Chinese announcements.
His successor, 63-year-old Chen Xiaojiang, previously served as deputy secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and was known as a trusted speechwriter and aide to former anti-corruption chief Wang Qishan.
Ma’s Connection with China’s First Family
Independent political commentator Cai Shenkun noted that Ma’s connection to Xi Jinping’s wife, Peng Liyuan, goes beyond simply sharing the same hometown. In a post on X following Xinhua’s announcement, Cai wrote that the Peng and Ma families have long-standing ties. He asserted Xi’s trust in and acceptance of Ma was largely shaped by Peng’s support and influence.Cai also speculated that a series of serious scandals within the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation may have implicated Ma, potentially leading to his exit from the political stage.
In recent years, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation has been embroiled in a series of high-profile corruption scandals. Several senior executives, including former chairman Wu Yansheng, were removed from their posts and placed under investigation. The investigations exposed deep-rooted issues, including quality control failures, mishandling of sensitive materials, and irregularities in equipment procurement. These issues have raised concerns about the reliability and safety of China’s missile and space programs.
Broken Alliance Between Xi and Wang
Wang Qishan was once considered Xi’s closest ally and right-hand man. As head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the country’s top anti-corruption agency, from 2012 to 2017, he played a crucial role during Xi’s first two terms. However, despite having greatly supported Xi’s consolidation of power, Wang gradually retreated from the political spotlight after 2018 and eventually stepped down as China’s vice chairman in 2023.Yuan Hongbing, a former law professor at Peking University now living in exile in Australia, recently told The Epoch Times—citing an insider—that Xi had originally promised Wang a continued seat on the Politburo Standing Committee, even past the standard retirement age. However, some of Xi’s closest aides, including Cai Qi, director of the CCP General Office, feared that Wang harbored personal ambitions that could threaten Xi’s authority. As a result, Wang resigned from the Politburo Standing Committee and stepped down as head of the CCDI during the CCP’s 19th National Congress in 2017, signaling that Xi had likely broken his promise.
The following year, Xi relegated Wang to the largely ceremonial position of vice chairman of China, effectively sidelining him.
According to Yuan, his sources also revealed that a few years back, many princelings were convinced that Xi’s continued leadership would lead to severe social and political instability. Since then, they have been working to block Xi’s re-election at the Chinese Communist Party’s 21st National Congress, scheduled for 2027, by nominating Wang Qishan instead.
Princelings are children and grandchildren of the CCP’s most influential founding members.
Upon learning of this plot, Yuan said, Xi initiated an extensive purge in 2022 against Wang’s allies to eliminate perceived threats —deepening the political rift between the two former allies.
Yuan said the recent personnel reshuffling within the CCP signals that internal power struggles have reached a climax, with the princeling class turning against Xi Jinping.
“Xi Jinping is extremely power-hungry,” Yuan said. “He’s trying to monopolize the Party’s top leadership, turning collective rule into one centered entirely on himself. That obsession with control is why the princeling class—also known as the red aristocracy—has, as a whole, turned against him.”
