He was the son of Ma Fulu who died in 1900 when fighting against the foreigners in the Battle of Peking (1900) in the Boxer Rebellion.

[citation needed] Hongbin helped Ma Hongkui to fight off an invasion of Ningxia by fellow warlord Sun Dianying in early 1934.

[13] The Japanese planned to invade Ningxia from Suiyuan in 1939 and create a Hui Muslim puppet state.

The next year in 1940, the Japanese were defeated militarily by Ma Hongbin, who caused the plan to collapse.

Ma Hongbin's Hui Muslim troops launched further attacks against Japan in the Battle of West Suiyuan.

[16] In 1940 Ma Hongbin's Muslim troops took part in the Battle of West Suiyuan against Japan and their Mongol puppet state Mengjiang.

Throughout the war, Ma Hongbin continued military operations against the Japanese and their Mongolian allies.