Ma Faxiang
{{Short description|Chinese military personnel (1953–2014)}}
{{family name hatnote|Ma|lang=Chinese}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Ma Faxiang
| native_name = 马发祥
| native_name_lang = zh-Hans-CN
| image = MaFaxiang.jpg
| caption =
| office = Deputy Political Commissar of the PLA Navy
| term_start = July 2013
| term_end = November 2014
| alongside = Wang Sentai
| predecessor = Wang Zhaohai
| successor = Ding Haichun
| 1blankname = Political Commissar
| 1namedata = Liu Xiaojiang
| birth_date = 1953
| birth_place = Dali County, Shaanxi, China
| death_date = 13 November 2014 (aged 61)
| death_place = Beijing
| party = Chinese Communist Party
| alma_mater =
| spouse =
| allegiance = {{PRC}}
| branch = File:Naval Ensign of the People's Republic of China.svg People's Liberation Army Navy
| serviceyears = ?−2014
| rank = 48px Vice Admiral
| commands =
| awards =
}}
Ma Faxiang ({{zh |s = 马发祥 }}; 1953 – 13 November 2014) was a Chinese vice admiral (zhong jiang) who served as Deputy Political Commissar of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). He came under investigation for corruption and died by suicide in November 2014.
Life and career
Ma Faxiang was born in 1953 in Dali County, Shaanxi Province.{{cite news |url=http://china.caixin.com/2014-12-05/100759366.html |script-title=zh:海军副政委马发祥中将离世19天后火化 |newspaper=Caixin |date=5 December 2014 |language=Chinese |author=Lin Yunshi}}
Ma was appointed Political Commissar of the PLAN Armament Research Institute in July 2004, and attained the rank of rear admiral a year later. In July 2008, he was appointed Political Commissar of the Navy test and training base. He was elevated to Director of the Political Department of the Navy in June 2011, and attained the rank of vice admiral in 2012. In a 2013 report published by the American think tank the Jamestown Foundation, analysts considered Ma the top contender to succeed Admiral Liu Xiaojiang as the PLAN's next political commissar.{{cite journal |url=http://www.jamestown.org/programs/chinabrief/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=40544&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=688 |title=Assessing PLA Navy and Air Force Political Commissar Career Paths |author1=Kenneth Allen |author2=Morgan Clemens |author3=Steven Glinert |author4=Daniel Yoon |journal=China Brief |volume=13 |issue=5 |publisher=The Jamestown Foundation |date=4 March 2013}} In July 2013, he was promoted to Deputy Political Commissar of the PLAN.
Suicide
On 13 November 2014, Ma Faxiang jumped to his death from a building at the navy complex in Gongzhufen, Beijing.{{cite news |url=http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1640985/senior-pla-navy-officer-leaps-his-death-beijing-block-source-says?page=all |title=Senior PLA Navy officer leaps to his death from Beijing block, source says |newspaper=South China Morning Post |date=17 November 2014 |author=Minnie Chan}} Ma had come under investigation for corruption by the Central Discipline Inspection Commission, and it is believed that he died by suicide to avoid disgrace and allow his family to receive his retirement benefits,{{cite news |url=http://www.sunday-guardian.com/investigation/xi-jinping-draws-army-into-breath-restricting-embrace |title=Xi Jinping draws army into breath-restricting embrace |newspaper=The Sunday Guardian |date=6 June 2015 |author=Jayadeva Ranade |access-date=27 August 2015 |archive-date=7 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507105345/https://www.sunday-guardian.com/investigation/xi-jinping-draws-army-into-breath-restricting-embrace |url-status=dead }} although it was also said that he had suffered from depression.{{cite news |url=http://www.voachinese.com/content/pla-navy-official-suicide-20141117/2523234.html |script-title=zh:解放军反腐压力增加, 海军副政委跳楼身亡 |newspaper=Voice of America |date=17 November 2014 |language=Chinese |author=Lin Feng}} His suicide followed that of Rear Admiral Jiang Zhonghua under similar circumstances about two months before. Ma's corruption investigation is thought to be connected to the cases of the former vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission, Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong.
People's Navy, the official newspaper of the PLAN, announced that Ma Faxiang had died of an illness. The official obituary called him "an excellent Communist Party member and an excellent political commander of the Navy". On 1 December 2014, his body was cremated at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery. Many current and former navy leaders, including Commander Wu Shengli and Political Commissar Liu Xiaojiang, attended the farewell ceremony, but top Communist Party and government leaders were notably absent.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-before|before=Wang Zhaohai }}
{{s-title|title= Director of the Political Department of the PLA Navy
|years= 2009–2011}}
{{s-after|after=Ding Haichun}}
{{s-end}}
{{Director of Political Department of the People's Liberation Army Navy}}
{{CPCCorruption2013}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ma, Faxiang}}
Category:People's Liberation Army generals from Shaanxi
Category:Suicides in the People's Republic of China
Category:People's Liberation Army Navy admirals
Category:People from Dali County
Category:Suicides by jumping in China