China in turmoil?

The Chinese Politburo, the nine-man crew at the top of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, is experiencing their worst crisis since the Tinanmen Square Massacre of 1989, according to experts on Chinese Government and Policy.

It really is quite the soap opera... as Anton Wishik from the National Bureau of Asian Research reports:

"China currently faces a daunting political crisis, due to the ongoing scandal riveting the country as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) prepares for its upcoming leadership transition. Bo Xilai—formerly party chief of Chongqing and a member of China’s Politburo—has been stripped of his posts due to an investigation stemming from Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun’s February 2012 visit to the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu. During his conversations with U.S. officials, it is believed that Wang revealed damaging information about Bo and sought refuge due to his fear of persecution. After spending a night at the consulate, Wang was taken into custody by Chinese officials, a fate later shared by Bo and his wife Gu Kailai. Wang is currently being investigated, while Bo has been accused of various transgressions and Gu is suspected of involvement in the death of British citizen Neil Heywood in late 2011.
            Bo, the son of a famous Chinese revolutionary, came to national prominence during his time as party chief of Chongqing due to his charisma, his ruthless crackdown against organized crime, and his promotion of Maoist songs and imagery. Before being assigned to lead Chongqing, Bo served as minister of commerce and mayor of Dalian in Liaoning province. In the months prior to this scandal, Bo was viewed as a rising star and a candidate for promotion to the nine-member Politburo Standing Committee."

Bo Xilai and his wife, Gu Xilai.

In a nutshell: Bo Xilai, the leader of Chongqing Province and rising star in the Maoist "New Left" faction of the Chinese Communist Party, is in serious trouble. The evidence brought forth by Wang Lijun apparently implicates Xilai in serious corruption and political misdeeds. Furthermore, Bo's wife Gu Xilai was implicated in the poisoning death of British citizen and chinese business liaison Neil Heywood. Heywood, a Hong Kong businessman who worked closely with Gu on a number of business dealings, apparently was helping Gu Xilai embezzle millions of Yuan from the Government through crooked financial practices, and is thought to have been murdered after he threatened to expose her following some type of disagreement between the two.

The accusations put forth by Wang Lijun don't stop there... According to unnamed sources within the U.S. Diplomatic mission in China, Lijun implicated numerous high-ranking Communist Party members, even those within the Politburo, of serious corruption.

Wang Lijun, Chief of Police for Chonqing Province, and all around hip-looking dude.

Wang Lijun tried to defect to the U.S. while at the consulate. Unfortunately, China was VERY unwilling to let him go, and forced his return to Chinese Authority (probably the right decision on our part, at the time... this could have sparked an incredibly tense international incident). He was quickly denounced as a traitor to the Communist Party, one of the most dire charges a Chinese defendant can face, and will likely face execution or life imprisonment.

Bo and Gu Xilai, meanwhile, have also seen less-than-favorable outcomes; Bo was immediately placed on leave, soon followed by a complete dismissal from his role in the CCP, effectively ending his career. Gu is reportedly under criminal investigation, and is predicted to face significant punishment. This poses a stunning blow to the Maoist "New Left", who considered Bo and Gu to be leading figures in the movement. Since the accusations have come to light, numerous figures within the New Left have accused the reigning State Capitalist CCP of framing the Xilais in order to undermine their growing influence and discredit the growing resurgent Maoism.

Maoist Propoganda from the 60s, known for it's violent imagery.

The reigning factions of the CCP have made it clear that they are uncomfortable with the return of Maoist Populism under figures such as Bo Xilai. Indeed, for all the modern claims of socialist dogma, the world's most arguably successful Socialist nation has some pretty serious social issues. Economic inequality is staggering; rural communities live in objective poverty while ignored by the CCP, and the inability of a vast majority of Chinese to improve their conditions due to the oppressive government bureaucracy is producing significant tension within the populace. Politicans such as Bo Xilai have been able to exploit such tension using Maoist rhetoric, known for it's revolutionary and fiery imagery.

As Premier of the CCP Wen Jiabao warned in a March 14th Address to the Chinese Parliament:

"We must press ahead with both economic reform and political structural reform, especially reform in the leadership system of our party and country...
"Reform has reached a critical stage. Without successful political structural reform, it is impossible for us to fully institute economic structural reform and the gains we have made in this area may be lost."
"The new problems that have cropped up in China's society will not be fundamentally resolved, and such historical tragedies as the Cultural Revolution may happen again."

 The Cultural Revolution was a period of great social upheaval in the 1960s instituted by Communist Revolutionary Mao Zedong, in which hundreds of thousands of Chinese were brutally murdered by Communist Partisans for harboring even the slightest association with capitalist or bourgeois elements. Even further, millions were persecuted for what many historians say was practically no reason at all. In my opinion, the Chinese Cultural Revolution is one of the great overlooked tragedies in human history, ignored in modern times partly because people are afraid of China but also due to a lingering sympathy for Communist ideas harbored amongst annoying Western Politicians and Academia; but I digress....

An example of glittering genius from an American College Student at an OWS rally.

At any rate, this is a serious crisis. Not since the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989 has the Politburo faced such embarrassment and scrutiny by the Chinese Public. Furthermore, experts say the Bo Xilai Crisis has finally brought long-hidden tensions in Chinese society to the forefront, namely the attachment some Chinese still have to Maoist ideology vs. the newer brand of State Capitalism that China has largely adopted in modern times. To boot, many high-ranking members of the Chinese military establishment have been heard complaining that the current administration neglects them, citing the relatively diminishing influence of China in Asia compared to the growing U.S. influence. In fact, some foreign experts speculate over the possibility of a joint coup d'etat, in which the Maoist elements promise a new refocus on the military in return for support to overthrow the reigning Politburo.   

What will become of all this? China has been able to weather some tough times in the past... many thought that the CCP had reached it's end at the Tiananmen Protests, only to have the CCP overcome and even punch back twice as hard. I will continue to follow this juicy bit of foreign intrigue closely, and keep my few readers abreast of any startling developments.

"Imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever."