Poltical leader forced to step down in scandal aftermath
March 15, 2012
Earlier this week, Bo Xilai, the Community Part secretary of the Chongqing district, was removed from his position in the wake of a major political scandal. The Voice of America reports the Chinese politician and his chief-of-police Wang Lijun had begun taking action against area gangs and corrupt officials who associated with them. Lijun also paid a visit to a nearby U.S. Consulate, and was taken into custody by Chinese investigators shortly thereafter.
"He is from a high-flying family, a family who had got to a high position many years ago, and he still carried the political capital from that," David Kelly of China Policy, a company that analyzes political, social and economic development, told VoA. "Somebody in that position - if they win, they win well, if they lose, they lose everything."
According to the New York Times, Bo was slated to ascend to the Standing Committee of the Politburo, a group of nine leaders who are behind China's major operations. Now, however, Bo's chances have been destroyed. Those who want to find out more about this political scandal can make calls to China with international phone cards.