Bo Xilai's removal caused an international media commotion

Bo Xilai's removal caused an international media commotion On the day after China's two sessions in 2012, the Communist Party of China officially decided that Bo Xilai would no longer serve as Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee and Standing Committee...

The CCP’s shock in the year of the 18th National Congress

The Washington Post said that amid the shakeup at the top level of the CCP, Bo Xilai was fired and Zhang Dejiang, Vice Premier of the State Council of China, will concurrently serve as Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee. "Times" said that Chinese politics is hazy at the best of times, but Bo Xilai's removal coincided with a sensitive period of leadership change in the CCP, because during this period the CCP was more mysterious and decisions were often made behind the scenes. But the Wang Lijun incident made this behind-the-scenes manipulation public.

Reuters stated that Zhang Dejiang will retain the position of deputy prime minister while replacing Bo Xilai. The media quoted Beijing scholars as saying that, looking at it now, Wen Jiabao's speech on the 14th represents the collective view of the top leaders of the CCP: Bo Xilai needs to leave. This will affect the leadership politics of the 18th National Congress, because there will be new uncertainties about who will be elected to the Standing Committee of the 18th National Congress.

The New York Times reported in detail the process from Bo Xilai's selection of Wang Lijun to Wang Lijun's investigation, titled "Upstart China Leader Deposed", saying that the dismissal of the brash Bo Xilai from his post in Chongqing was an "unmistakable sign that the (Wang Lijun) scandal ended Bo Xilai's political ambitions", which complicates the change of power in the CCP this autumn.

A Beijing-based analyst close to the top leadership of the CCP said that he has heard that Bo Xilai will be investigated and charged with disciplinary violations in connection with the Wang Lijun case, but it is unclear how the charges against Bo Xilai will be carried out and may last for several months. The analyst believes that Bo Xilai currently has no power or position.

However, the newspaper stated that such an assessment could not be confirmed immediately, and that Bo Xilai may still continue his political career without a new appointment.

The New York Times also paid special attention to the reaction on mainland China's Sina Weibo, saying that there were many voices mocking Bo Xilai, but there were also netizens who supported Bo Xilai's efforts to promote economic growth in Chongqing, improve farmers' income and narrow the income gap.

The leadership change of the CCP suddenly entered a period of high drama

The Guardian said that Bo Xilai’s dismissal was surprising because before the 18th National Congress, the CCP paid special attention to maintaining stability and avoiding accidents. With the popular candidate for the 18th National Congress (Bo Xilai) being "overthrown" in the betrayal scandal (Wang Lijun), the leadership change of the CCP suddenly entered an extremely dramatic period. China's replacement of Bo Xilai as secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee can be said to be the most dramatic event in Chinese politics.

The media also commented that Bo Xilai is a figure who is very likely to "cause discord" (divisive). Although his anti-gang campaign has been highly welcomed by the public, some people say that Bo Xilai has trampled on the law and are worried that he will become a strongman. Moreover, one day before Bo Xilai was dismissed, Premier Wen Jiabao criticized the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee for learning lessons from the Wang Lijun incident. Bo Xilai himself insisted a few days ago that the Wang Lijun incident was an isolated incident.

>Wen Jiabao's public criticism is extremely rare

> Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said at a press conference on the 14th, "After smashing the 'Gang of Four,' although our party has made resolutions on a number of historical issues and implemented reform and opening up, the mistakes of the 'Cultural Revolution' and the influence of feudalism have not been completely eliminated."

Wen Jiabao said that without the success of the political reform, the economic reform cannot be carried out to the end. The results that have been achieved may be lost again. New problems in society cannot be fundamentally solved. Historical tragedies such as the Cultural Revolution may happen again.

Every responsible party member and leading cadre should have a sense of urgency.

The Financial Times quoted internal sources on the 14th as saying that the Chinese Communist Party’s official media announced Bo Xilai’s dismissal just two days after the 10-day National People’s Congress ended, and the CCP’s senior leadership had already made this decision on the evening of the 13th. On the 13th, Premier Wen Jiabao warned conservative officials of the Chinese Communist Party at a press conference, saying that there must be a sense of urgency in carrying out political reforms, otherwise China may face a second Cultural Revolution. Wen Jiabao, who is about to retire, responded to the Wang Lijun incident at a press conference, directly targeting Bo Xilai and publicly criticizing Bo, which is extremely rare among senior leaders of the CCP. Wang Lijun's case is still under investigation, and Zhang Dejiang, an economist and deputy prime minister who studied in North Korea, succeeded Bo Xilai.

The Wall Street Journal stated that it is extremely rare for senior leaders of the Chinese Communist Party to publicly accuse each other, even if they are oblique. Therefore, Wen Jiabao's speech at the press conference can be regarded as a direct attack on Bo Xilai and the supporters of the government model that Bo represents.

Among the Western media, the Wall Street Journal (which conducted a live broadcast of Wen Jiabao's press conference on March 14) was the first to report the news of Bo Xilai's dismissal. Subsequently, Bloomberg and Reuters successively reported and commented on the CCP official media reports.

The Wall Street Journal stated that Bo Xilai has been involved in this political scandal since the Wang Lijun incident. On Wednesday (March 14), Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao "thinly veiled swipe at" Bo Xilai, saying that Chongqing officials must seriously reflect on and learn lessons from the Wang Lijun incident. After updating the report, the media said that Bo Xilai, the CCP leader who pioneered and revived Maoist ideology, was dismissed from his position in Chongqing after Premier Wen made an "unusual" accusation against Bo Xilai at his last public press conference. Moreover, Wen Jiabao's response to the Wang Lijun incident "clearly blew" the liberal camp.

The newspaper said that before Wen Jiabao's speech, analysts believed that Bo was likely to remain in the Politburo, but it would be difficult for him to become a member of the Standing Committee. However, it currently appears that while Bo Xilai may still remain in the Politburo (the Xinhua statement did not mention contact with his Politburo membership), his political career is effectively over. The media also noticed that Wen Jiabao mentioned the Cultural Revolution at the end of the press conference. In 2011, Wen Jiabao also mentioned for the first time that his father had been persecuted during the Cultural Revolution. A subsequent report in the Wall Street Journal analyzed that Bo Xilai's removal from his position in Chongqing exposed "deep rifts" within the CCP's internal elite before the 18th National Congress this fall.

The BBC also mentioned that Wen Jiabao asked the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee to reflect on the Wang Lijun incident at the press conference. The media stated that Bo Xilai's dismissal happened to be the day after the conclusion of this year's National People's Congress. During the two sessions, Bo Xilai's sometimes absence from meetings triggered speculation about his future career. Later, Bo Xilai told reporters that he had not thought of the Wang Lijun incident and was very surprised. He did not pay attention to the personnel he employed.

Bo Xilai has no hope of promotion

Reuters said that from Bo Xilai's "abrupt removal", it can be seen that he may retain some kind of position until the 18th National Congress this year, but his chance of promotion is gone.

"Times" stated that Bo Xilai's "Singing Reds and Fighting Gangs Campaign" launched in Chongqing has made him famous at home and abroad. However, critics believe that Bo Xilai's "Crackdown on Gangs" campaign is a cruel treatment of civil rights, and the "Singing Reds Campaign" reminds some people of the Cultural Revolution. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao mentioned at the press conference on the 14th that the mistakes of the "Cultural Revolution" and the feudal influence have not been completely eliminated.

The magazine also mentioned that political analysts had previously speculated that Bo Xilai might be given some kind of honorary position and might hold some kind of position in the National People's Congress. Although the Chinese Communist Party’s official media did not hint at Bo Xilai’s future position, it is certain that Bo Xilai will not be promoted.

The Daily Telegraph stated that it is unclear whether Bo Xilai resigned on his own or was forced to be removed from office. Zhang Dejiang, who replaced Bo Xilai, is an expert in the field of economics and has been in power in Zhejiang and Guangdong for many years.

The Associated Press report entitled "Bo Xilai was fired after the Wang Lijun incident" stated that Bo Xilai was one of the "most highly ambitious and unusually flamboyant" officials within the CCP, and his replacement in Chongqing seemed to actually be the end of his political career. After Bo Xilai was dismissed, the competition within the CCP for the 18th National Congress Standing Committee is likely to become more intense. But domestic speculation about Bo Xilai's future career can basically be put to rest.