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 Xing-Rui, 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?
