China puts Ma Xingrui protege Guo Yonghang under investigation for corruption

A former top official of Guangdong Province, widely seen as a “right-hand man” of former provincial governor Ma Xingrui, is under investigation for corruption.The investigation into Guo Yonghang, Communist Party secretary for Guangzhou from June 2023 until December, deepens the uncertainties about the fate of Ma, who was abruptly removed as Xinjiang’s party secretary in July and has since vanished from public life.Guo was named vice-chairman of the Guangdong provincial committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) – the country’s top political advisory body – in January.He is suspected of “serious violations of discipline and law”, China’s top anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, announced on Friday, using its usual euphemism for corruption and bribery.Guo, 60, was Ma’s top aide when he was party secretary of Guangdong tech hub Shenzhen from 2015 to 2016.A career bureaucrat, Guo climbed the ranks from local departmental official to become a key power player in Guangdong, eventually overseeing the provincial capital of Guangzhou.