One of China’s most closest watched trials in decades came to a close today. The fallen communist party politician Bo Xilai is facing charges of bribery, embezzlement, and abuse of power in his attempt to conceal the poisoning of British businessman Neil Heywood. A verdict is expected in September. Jonathan Fenby is China director of […]
Never before has such a dramatic power transfer in China unfolded in the Internet era. Making this even more dramatic is controversial news this week that a one-time popular party leader has been suspended from his posts and his wife has been arrested and charged with murder. All this is unfolding on the Internet in China.
Gu Kailai, the wife of powerful Chinese political leader Bo Xilai, was charged in connection with the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood, who was believed to have died in his hotel room in Chongqing. Bo was an up-and-coming political leader in China who has fallen from grace in the wake of a scandal amidst a leadership transition in the country.
China will undergo its once-in-a-decade leadership transition this year — and the stakes are always high. This year, though, rumors of military coups and political intrigue among top leaders is complicating matters and has political leaders doing their best to retain control.
China’s lawyers are hardly independent today, but a new regulation from the country’s Ministry of Justice would require all attorneys to swear allegiance to the Communist Party before being granted a license to practice law.
As Americans prepared for the 2012 presidential election, China anticipated its own leadership transition. Today 2,280 Chinese Communist Party delegates arrive in Beijing for the Party’s 18th Congress, during which time President Hu Jiantao is expected to cede his position to his presumed successor, Xi Jinping. While the party set much of the Congress agenda before the […]