ה"טיהורים" במשטר הסיני נמשכים

Communist China's purge has cut deep into the heart of its power structure, targeting key members of the Politburo, the committee that makes the top decisions in the country. Beijing announced on Friday that Ma Xinrui, the former party head of Xinjiang, is now under investigation for severe violations of laws and party discipline, which usually means corruption. That makes him the third Politburo member targeted in the past six months. Who is Ma and why do analysts say his purge sets a precedent for shakeups within China's defense industry? I introduce Flora Hua with the story. Ma Xinrui's purge has put Chinese officials on high alert again. No one is safe in Xi's China. For an individual, an anti-corruption investigation usually means the death of their political career. But when a particular group, industry or region sees repeated purges, it can signal where regime leader Xi Jinping's focus has shifted. Ma's career spans China's central governing body, the defense industry, aerospace programs and the highly sensitive region of Xinjiang. We'll unpack them all. First, he is a member of China's Politburo, the country's top decision-making body. Its current term was formed in 2022 with a top leadership group of seven, including Xi and 17 additional members. But now, three members have been purged over the past six months, the most brutal shakeup in decades. Beijing has also purged the second and third-income men of China's military, Generals Zhang Youxia and He Weidong. A China Affairs scholar analyzed that Ma's purge marks the start of a broader crackdown on the Politburo. The body had remained largely untouched during Xi's purges for years. But before becoming a top politician, Ma started as an expert in China's aerospace industry. He oversaw some of the country's most important programs, including satellites, manned spacecraft, lunar exploration and next-generation carrier rockets. More recently, several aerospace officials who once reported to him have also been targeted in anti-corruption purges. This includes the chief engineer of China's J-20 fighter jet. This comes as reports of Chinese-made weapons failing in Venezuela and Iran have circulated. Analysts say this may have contributed to increased scrutiny of the military-industrial sector. They also suggest Ma's downfall could mark only the beginning of broader purges across China's military industry. Ma later also became the top party official in Xinjiang. It's one of China's most highly controlled regions, where millions of Uyghurs reside. But since late last year, rumors of Ma's purge have been growing after he was absent from several key party meetings. Zooming out, Beijing's top political circle is undergoing one of the widest and most intense waves of purges in communist China's history. Nearly 70 members of the party's central committee have now been purged. That's about one-fifth of the group. Flora Hua, NTD News.