Ma Xingrui Falls from Power—Flames Reach Peng Liyuan; Hu Chunhua Implicated, Is Li Xi Also in Danger?

On July 17, Peng Liyuan appeared at the 2025 "Guling Friendship" U.S.-China Youth Exchange event hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. (Video screenshot)

[People News] The recent downfall of Ma Xingrui is perceived by observers as the most significant collapse of the Chinese Communist Party's core power in the past 50 years. As a close ally of Xi Jinping and a member of the Central Political Bureau, Ma Xingrui's fall illustrates that even when factional loyalties are correctly aligned, no one is truly safe, regardless of their rank.

So, which members of the Political Bureau or the Standing Committee could be at risk due to Ma Xingrui's downfall?

The first to face potential threats is Li Xi, the current member of the Standing Committee and Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. During his time in Guangdong, Li Xi worked alongside Ma Xingrui, who was serving as governor, for four years, establishing a very close relationship. Although Li Xi is a Standing Committee member and enjoys a degree of protection under the principle of 'no punishment for high officials,' the investigation into Ma Xingrui means that Li Xi, in his role as Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, can no longer ignore the issue of 'darkness under the lamp.' If Ma Xingrui's disclosures involve significant project entanglements from his tenure in Guangdong, Li Xi's position could become extremely precarious, potentially leading to a political crisis.

Beyond Li Xi, several members of the Political Bureau from the 20th National Congress are also in a vulnerable position.

Yuan Jiajun, the Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee, is another figure at risk. Both Yuan Jiajun and Ma Xingrui belong to the aerospace system's technical bureaucrats, sharing a highly similar background. The fall of Ma Xingrui serves as a warning for Yuan Jiajun, especially since the former mayor of Chongqing, Hu Henghua, has already been ousted. Yuan Jiajun now finds himself in a precarious situation in Chongqing, a city already caught in a web of political turmoil.

Current Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing has been at the helm of the Weapons Industry Group for a long time, and recently, several senior executives from this group have come under investigation. More importantly, the domestically produced weapons overseen by Zhang Guoqing have performed poorly in the battlefields of Iran and the Middle East, with failures in radar and air defence systems. This situation is regarded as a significant military scandal, and Zhang Guoqing is likely to face accountability.

Additionally, Vice Premier Liu Guozhong, who also has a background in the military industry, may find himself embroiled in future purges.

So far, three political committee members from the team established by Xi Jinping during the 20th National Congress have been investigated, along with numerous central committee members, generals, and state councilors being dismissed. It is expected that more officials at these levels will encounter problems in the near future.

Furthermore, the downfall of Ma Xingrui has once again brought another former 'crown prince' into the limelight—Hu Chunhua, the current Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Just days before Ma Xingrui's official dismissal, overseas commentator Jiang Wangzheng disclosed that Hu Chunhua had been implicated in the Ma Xingrui case and was reportedly undergoing questioning by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The question arises: why would Ma Xingrui's issues impact Hu Chunhua, the former 'crown prince' who has already stepped back to a secondary role? The answer lies in Guangdong.

Since 2012, Hu Chunhua has served as the Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, while Ma Xingrui was parachuted into Guangdong in 2013 as the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, later rising to the position of Governor. The two worked closely together in Guangdong for four years, maintaining a direct superior-subordinate relationship. Analyst Cai Shenkun suggests that Ma Xingrui's appointment to Guangdong was likely a move by Xi Jinping to place him alongside Hu Chunhua as a 'military supervisor' to keep an eye on this potential successor.

The catalyst for this turmoil is reportedly Li Guanglu, the personal secretary of Ma Xingrui. Li Guanglu is currently under investigation for alleged large-scale corruption. In a bid to protect himself, he 'snitched' on Hu Chunhua's confidential secretary during questioning.

Sources indicate that the relationship between the secretaries of Ma and Hu is quite significant, and Li Guanglu's accusations may have been prompted by directives from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, aiming to 'hit the cow across the mountain,' with the ultimate goal of targeting Hu Chunhua directly. Jiang Wangzheng further disclosed that the amount involved in the Ma Xingrui case is a staggering 370 billion yuan, making it difficult for Hu Chunhua, who was the top leader in Guangdong at the time, to escape unscathed from such a massive corruption scandal.

Hu Chunhua's situation is now extremely precarious. His last public appearance was on March 26, when he chaired a national political consultative conference, and he has been absent for over a week since then. In the Guangdong political arena, Hu Chunhua has always been seen as 'untouchable,' exercising extreme caution in economic matters and often delegating sensitive projects to others to mitigate risks. Cai Shenkun noted that Hu Chunhua once met with Xi Jinping privately, expressing that he had no ambitions for succession and was even willing to resign at any moment to demonstrate his 'loyalty' to Xi. However, even such a low-profile figure as Hu Chunhua could become a target for removal if he is perceived to still hold some political significance.

It is also noteworthy that Hu Chunhua is not the only high-ranking official to have gone missing. Simultaneously, Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong and Minister of Defence Dong Jun have also not made a public appearance for over two weeks.

Is Hu Chunhua poised to become a scapegoat in the Ma Xingrui case? The answer remains uncertain. He could face severe repercussions similar to those experienced by Ma Xingrui, or he might only encounter some pressure. What is clear, however, is that the power struggle within Zhongnanhai has escalated to a life-and-death level; it is no longer just those outside Xi Jinping's circle who are at risk, but even his own allies may not be safe. The infighting among the upper echelons of the Communist Party has spiralled into extreme chaos and madness.

(Originally published by People News)
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