He was director of the National Bureau of Statistics from 2008 to 2015, executive vice-president of Academy of Governance (minister-level rank) from 2015 to 2018, and party branch secretary of Development Research Center of the State Council from 2018 to 2022.

Ma won the Sun Yefang Economics Prize in 1994 while serving on the Development Research Center of the State Council, he received the Chinese Economic Theory Innovation award In 2012.

[1] He served as the Director of General Department, SETC from 1996 to 2003, and was Deputy Secretary of SASAC from 2003 to 2008.

[2] Ma was elected to the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party as an alternate member in November 2012.

Ma was ranked first out of 168 alternate members in a list ordered by the number of votes received at the party congress.