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China
Ma Xingrui, a carefully staged fall to protect the First Lady

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Reading time 2 min

Ma Xingrui, former secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in Xinjiang (photo taken on 6 March 2024 in Beijing).
Ma Xingrui, former secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in Xinjiang (photo taken on 6 March 2024 in Beijing). © Wu Hao/EPA/MaxPPP

The ruling against former Politburo member Ma Xingrui, made public on 14 July, formally brings to a close one of the most sensitive cases in the ongoing wave of purges in Beijing. But the indictment, limited to personal and economic misconduct, is significant mainly for what is left unsaid. The ruling signals a balance negotiated at the highest levels and confirms Xi Jinping's position of strength.

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