Rumors surrounding the fate of Ma Xingrui, a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo, continue to circulate as his former aide, Guo Yonghang, experiences a series of dismissals. These developments have prompted speculation regarding the political future of both Ma and his close associates.
An announcement from the Guangdong Provincial People’s Congress on January 23 indicated that Guo Yonghang has resigned from his position as a representative of the 14th Guangdong Provincial People’s Congress. According to official policies, this resignation effectively terminates his status as a legislative representative.
Last December, Guo Yonghang was removed from his roles as a member of the Guangdong Provincial Committee and as the Secretary of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee. His political career has seen him occupy various prominent positions, including Deputy Governor of Guangdong Province, Deputy Secretary and later Mayor of Guangzhou, and Secretary of the Zhuhai Municipal Committee. Notably, Guo served as Ma Xingrui’s secretary during Ma’s tenure in Shenzhen, starting in March 2015.
Ma Xingrui’s political trajectory began in November 2013 when he became Deputy Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee. He later took on the roles of Secretary of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee and, from January 2017, Governor of Guangdong Province. In December 2021, he was appointed Secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and by the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party in 2022, he was elevated to the Politburo.
In July of last year, Ma was dismissed from his position as Secretary of Xinjiang, with officials citing “another assignment,” yet no subsequent role has been declared for him, leaving him without substantive power aside from his title as a Politburo member. Compounding the uncertainty around his status, Ma has recently been absent from several significant events, fueling further rumors about his political jeopardy.
Independent commentator Cai Shenkun remarked that discussions in Guangdong’s political circles suggest that Guo Yonghang’s fate is closely tied to Ma’s. If Ma manages to navigate his political challenges successfully, Guo might have found a position as Deputy Director in the Provincial People’s Congress similar to that of his predecessor Zhang Shuo, but current indications suggest a more precarious future for those aligned with Ma.
As these events unfold, they reflect the intense scrutiny and turbulent nature of political dynamics within China, signaling potential shifts in power and influence among its leadership.