Ma Xingrui, a member of China's elite politburo, is under investigation over suspected "serious violation of law and discipline", becoming the latest senior Chinese leader to fall under the anti-graft watchdog's scrutiny.
China is stepping up its years-long fight to root out corruption with the purge of sitting members of the Politburo, the ruling Communist Party's decision-making body.
Ma, who also serves as the deputy leader of the central rural work leading group, is undergoing a disciplinary review and supervisory investigation, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a notice on Friday. It did not disclose any details regarding the case.
Ma is the third member of the politburo to be investigated in the current term that began in 2022.
The investigation into Ma follows the probe of another politburo member and China's top general Zhang Youxia in January. The expulsion of He Weidong from the ruling party for corruption last year reduced the 24-member politburo to 23. Ma and Zhang remain members in name only while the investigations unfold.
Ma's most recent known public appearance was at the Communist Party Central Committee's Fourth Plenum in late October. Since then, he has been absent from the state broadcaster's footage of several key events including the annual parliament meeting last month.
He was removed from his position as Xinjiang party chief in July. Chen Xiaojiang, former executive deputy minister of the United Front Work Department, was appointed as the party chief in Xinjiang.
Zhang was placed under investigation in January over suspected serious violations of party discipline and law, according to China’s defence ministry.
Government anti-corruption drives have become a signature policy of Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012. Thousands of officials have been purged, including high-profile political rivals.
Analysts say the anti-corruption campaign, which is popular with the public, has also been used to enforce loyalty to Mr Xi among party and government officials.
In June 2024, China announced that former defence minister Li Shangfu and his predecessor Wei Fenghe had been expelled from the Communist Party over charges of corruption.
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