On September
22nd, the Intermediate People’s Court in Jinan found Bo Xilai, once China’s
most charismatic politician, guilty of bribery, embezzlement, and abuse of
power and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
No sooner was the
stiff term handed down than we began seeing assessments that the Communist
Party had finally put behind it a troubled chapter in its history. Perhaps a Guardian headline said it best when it
announced that “China hopes to move on after Bo Xilai life sentence.”
Yet it’s clear
that Bo has not been the party’s main problem. For instance, the Financial Times, two days before the verdict and sentencing,
reported that at the Party School
of the Central Committee, in Beijing, talk of the failure of the country’s
political system has been the hot topic of late.
The school,
according to the article, is the only place in China where discussion of the
party’s failure can take place “without fear of reprisal.” That may be true,
but the institution, “an intellectual free-fire zone” and the training ground
for elite officials, is not the only place where the matter is under discussion….ToRead More…..
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