China replaces senior political figure amid political asylum scandal

Published November 20, 2014

China's Communist Party has replaced the once-powerful boss of the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing amid a scandal involving an underling's apparent attempt to gain political asylum in the United States.

The move to replace Bo Xilai appears to effectively end the official career of one of the country's most ambitious and flamboyant politicians. He had once been considered a candidate for a seat on the party's all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee when new members are selected during this fall's major leadership transition.

Bo was replaced as Chongqing Communist Party secretary by Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang, the official Xinhua News Agency said Thursday in a one-sentence report.

His removal will likely spur further competition for seats on the Politburo Standing Committee. But it should also put to rest lingering speculation over his fate that had prompted near-obsessive attention from China watchers and overshadowed the just-concluded annual session of the National People's Congress, China's legislature.

Zhang, Bo's replacement in Chongqing, is an economics specialist who served for many years in the vibrant provinces of Zhejiang and Guangdong.

It wasn't clear if Bo had resigned or been forced out and there was no immediate word on whether Bo remained on the party's 25-member Politburo.

Bo's replacement was likely prompted by the scandal surrounding Wang Lijun, Bo's hand-picked chief of police and the enforcer behind a controversial crackdown on Chongqing's gangs and the politicians and policemen who protected them.

The campaign won Bo national attention and praise among his constituents, resulting in 2,000 arrests, 500 prosecutions and 13 executions, including that of the former director of the city's Judicial Bureau over bribery, rape, extortion and gang-related charges.

But it also drew criticism for ignoring due process at a time when the government is at least paying lip service to calls for strengthened legal guarantees, albeit highly selectively.

Ties between Bo and Wang appeared to fray amid reports of an investigation into Wang's former subordinates at his former posting in the northeastern city of Tieling. Transferred to a minor city government post, Wang drove to the U.S. consulate in the nearby city of Chengdu on Feb. 6 in an apparent bid to gain political asylum, staying there overnight before leaving and being taken into custody by investigators from the State Security Ministry in Beijing.

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