Bo’s Downfall and China’s Politics

choi

(1) Andrew Jacobs, Upstart Leader in China Is Ousted From Party Post. New York Times, Mar 16, 2012.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/1 ... sq=xilai&st=cse

(2) Keith B Richburg, China’s Modern Economy Belies Secretive and Opaque Politics. Washington Post, Mar 16, 2012.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wo ... QA1MXbGS_story.html

Quote:

"The dramatic events this week in China underscored one of this country’s most baffling dichotomies: between an increasingly sophisticated and globally connected economy, now the world’s second-largest, and the opaque, Leninist-style Communist Party that still runs it, with almost no transparency or public accountability and seemingly resistant to calls for political reform.

"Wen has often called for political reform in the past — typically using the same words — to no apparent effect. And within hours of his latest remarks, the Communist hierarchy demonstrated once again just how secretively it operates.

My comment: There is no need to read the rest.

(3) Weirang Jiang, Bo Xilai, a fallen star in an opaque land. Globe and Mail, Mar 16, 2012.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/n ... and/article2370572/

Quote: "Second, that Western coverage of Chinese politics has been consumed by elites * * * Mr Bo made himself popular with a massive anti-mafia and anti-corruption campaign that brought down many powerful people. He experimented with a program aimed at giving city dweller status to millions of rural migrant workers. He emphasized equal distribution of wealth, rather than just economic growth. And he flirted with Mao-era mass mobilization to gather popular support, such as the 'singing red songs' movement. Such developments cannot simply be described as a personal drive for a top leadership position, nor can it be modelled as princelings versus Communist Youth League, Jiang faction versus Hu faction, or conservatives versus liberals. The reality is far more complex. Mr. Bo is down personally, but his initiatives and style, controversial as they are, have a huge following. The test for China’s leadership is how to move the political reform agenda forward, beyond the rhetoric.

(4) Charlie Shifflett, How Bo Xilai re-wrote the book on governing in China. Washington Times, Mar 16, 2012.
http://communities.washingtontim ... ok-governing-china/

Quote: "Think, for a moment, about the make-up of good politicians. They accomplish things, right? They’re clever, and when they speak, you can’t help but listen. They know how to win over a crowd. They might get angry, but it’s usually for a righteous cause. Bo Xilai, the Communist Party Secretary of the Chinese mega-city Chongqing, is just this sort of politician. Or he was, until he got sacked from his position Thursday after his police chief Wang Lijun was implicated in a corruption scandal.