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Lintao Zhang / Getty Images
Bo Xilai attends the closing session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of the People on Tuesday in Beijing, China.
BEIJING -- Ambitious Chinese Communist Party leadership contender Bo Xilai has been sacked from his post as head of the city of Chongqing in a dramatic move that exposes growing ideological divisions just as a new generation readies to take power.
His abrupt downfall, announced on Thursday by the official Xinhua news agency, threatens to kindle tension between his supporters, who favor a more traditional, state-dominated version of socialism, and liberal critics, who saw him as a dangerous opportunist.
Bo was removed as party boss of Chongqing, a sprawling urban region in the southwest, a day after being rebuked by Premier Wen Jiabao in a news conference broadcast across the country.
In his remarks Wednesday, Wen warned against a repeat of the disastrous Cultural Revolution, NBC News correspondent Eric Baculinao in Beijing reported.
The comments were seen as a veiled attack on Bo, who has advocated a revival of cultural-revolution-style "red culture" movement, Baculinao said.
The telegenic Bo had been a strong contender for top leadership, but his career prospects came under intense speculation after Vice Mayor Wang Lijun, his longtime police chief, went to ground in February in the U.S. consulate in nearby Chengdu until he was coaxed out and placed under investigation.
In a separate statement, Xinhua said Wang had also been removed from his post. It gave no other details.
Xinhua said Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang would replace Bo.
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While Bo might be kept on in some role until the Communist Party leadership succession later this year, his hopes for promotion to a top job were finished, said Chen Ziming, an independent scholar in Beijing who follows party politics.
"Now it looks like Wen Jiabao's comments yesterday represented the leadership's collective view that Bo needed to go," said Chen, referring to the Chinese premier's rebuke of Bo.
"This will affect the leadership politics for the 18th Congress, because this opens up new uncertainties about who is in contention," said Chen.
The 18th Party Congress late this year will see China's biggest leadership transition in nearly a decade, with Party Chief Hu Jintao and other elders due to retire and hand power to a younger generation headed by Vice President Xi Jinping.
Flight to U.S. mission
Bo's dramatic spiral from a confident defense of his policies at a news conference last week to ignominious dismissal this week has come while central authorities push forward with an investigation into Wang's flight to the U.S. mission, and also after some central leaders, including the domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang, appeared to give Bo some public backing.
Last week Bo reportedly addressed the Wang incident after a long silence, the BBC reported.
"I feel like I put my trust in the wrong person," he said, explaining that it surprised him and came suddenly.
Bo has plenty of fans in China, attracted to the idea of a "Chongqing model" of development that promises greater social equality. They are likely to be riled by his removal.
"The removal of Bo Xilai is a real shock to me. We don't know whether it's because of his personal errors or is an attack on the Chongqing model," said Sima Nan, a leftist writer and broadcaster in Beijing who has praised Bo.
"If this amounts to a negation of the Chongqing model, then I can't agree with this decision."
Journalist beating erase Wukan optimism
Three sources with direct ties to Chongqing government officials said Bo's removal was announced on Thursday morning at a meeting in the city. They all spoke on condition of anonymity to protect themselves and their sources.
"The fact that the Xinhua announcement did not stress that Bo will be placed in another post means that he's probably going to be put under investigation, and there won't be any conclusion on his future until the end of that investigation," said one of the sources, a journalist with wide-ranging contacts among central officials.
Calls to two Chongqing city government officials for comment were not returned.
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NBC News, msnbc.com staff and Reuters contributed to this report.
Leave a Comment:
"a decision on his future" will most likely be a summary execution.
A second cultural revolution was a bad step to take, considering how well China is doing now.
As the old saying goes, "If you can't beat 'em, fire 'em."
China is falling apart. This radical socialism cannot go very long. I hope they reasonably open up China in a gradual step. If abrupt sacking and resignations happen, China can break up into like 3-4 countries.
Radical socialism? no one is giving the poor in China free health care or a piece of the wealth from taxes. Its communism, and a bad one at that. Communities sharing bathrooms and leasing houses, and no one is getting paid the same. I saw a few beggers in Beijing, and the only reason they are beggers is becuase the are crippled and cannot work. Take those beggers to Belgium, and they could just live off unemployment. I belive its time for Bo to go because what I saw when I went there is the youth are comming to power.
'China is falling apart.' really? Where are you coming up with this stuff?
Did you even read the article? 'Radical Socialism' is why this guy's political future is done. He was espousing a social return to the Cultural Revolution. He has some supporters, but it's not a very popular idea for most Chinese. In other words, he really wanted to rock the boat, but China politics is all about the status quo. Any politician too far out of the norm isn't going to have a great career in national politics. China isn't going to 'break up into like 3-4 countries' just because of some politicians getting sacked.
You idiots don't have any idea what "socialism" is, much less what the radical version of it is. You've been drinking too much Republicon Tea. Let me educate the both of you. This is the definition of socialism:
1. An economic theory or system in which the means of production, distribution, and exchange are owned by the community collectively. It is characterized by production for use rather than profit, and by equality of individual wealth rather than an unequal distribution of wealth with a small percentage of individuals controlling almost all of the money supply. 2. Any of various social or political theories or movements in which the common welfare is to be achieved through the establishment of a economic system where the economic security and benefit of fellow citizens is placed ahead of the accumulation of individual wealth.
What both of you (tom111, & Phenomenal112) seem to think is socialism, is not. What exists in China is centrally-organized dictatorship. It is a variant of the Engels Communism model, and a derivative of Stalinist central control. See below. Since you obviously don't know your political science, it can then be presumed that you don't know your American history either.
By today's standards, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, and George Washington were all farther to the left than the sitting President, who is actually more moderate than the right-wing paints him out to be.
I know that you don't like having facts thrust upon you, since your type of tripe-spreader behaves more like the scurrilous cockroach than you're willing to admit. The reality of the situation in China is that it's an oligarchy, controlled by a few in power. That has nothing to do with socialism, and even less to do with the political situation that exists in the United States, which is what you both were trying to imply.
You failed.
Evil Tessmacher: you rock.
Passed.
@ Tessmacher
Totally! Best rationally presented explanation I've seen of the politics of China (I grew up in Hong Kong during the Cultural Revolution!) AND best description of the pathetic political trolls that frequent the Vine and my unfortunate State of Florida.........
Evil Tessmacher, you are right about Thomas Jefferson. But you are wrong about George Washington and Ben Franklin. Ben Franklin was bigot, he thought other cultures would destroy the "fine English culture" here. Also he believed that everyone should look out for themselves and not not government taking care of them. A penny earned is a penny saved and not let the government give you free pennies. George Washington was associated with several secret societies of higher social classes, yes he believed in a strong government but not one for wealth being equally divided among the "community." Not only that Socialism has a lot longer definition then you gave, pick up a book or take a class on socailism to get the whole ideology about it, and when you do you find out it sounds great in theory but can not work in the real world. But you are as bad as the rest of these people righting by only saying the socialism is an economic theory when is a larger ideology then that.
Thank God for your reply!!! this mark, redd foxx and the evil, are really out their in left field as far as socialism is concerned, Capitalism may not be perfect but it's a hellava lot better than any other ism out there............when the yo-yo said "you have been drinking too much republican tea" says alot about this prig, and he doesn't know QUAT about socialism and maybe mark you should go back to hong kong and stay there!!
That term 'Work in the Real World' sends chills up every National Socialist's spine. Historically when the Profit motivation is removed, the attitude quickly turns to, "Why even do it"? Interesting that 'After' the invoking of 'The Great Society and The War on Poverty', the nation immediately developed an insatiable desire for illicit DRUGS.
The GS and WOP resulted in current US population, now comprised of a vast number of Dysfunctional, Dependency Addicted 'families' (families in the form of packs of running feral dogs). The supplier countries of those Drugs also suffer destruction, as collateral damage from N America's govt 'Subsidized' Addiction. Even this current elected president is spawned from a Dysfunctional Family (reason he appeals to his Voting 'peers'). Redistribution of wealth for political gain and POWER is historic. Keynesian theory thrives on the concept.
Robert Mugabe followed the mantra to the blessing of TIME and Newsweek magazines, with their National Socialism utopian concept. The 'Real World's always deadly consequences resulted in ZIMBABWE.
The Oriental are an inscrutablele people. "Sheldon Cooper". There will be a variety of reasons for the break up of the way China is. The growth of deserts, loss of fresh water, unabated burning of coal, and the treatment of workers with access to the Internet. We might see the Red Army dashing all over the country trying to hold together peices of the country as they start falling out of line.
it will SPRING very soon in China and the second revolution will happen
the Arab spring revolution is not contained to the Middle East
That's fine and long as we are not the ones occupying it.
They already tried that last year, but it was squashed even before it even got started. The China government control on media is much stronger than in the Middle East. Organizing a serious revolution is next to impossible. Only a mass spontaneous revolution would have any chance of getting started. But trying to maintain and coordinate such a movement without social media would be like trying to herd millions of cats. We'd likely see another Tiananmen Square 1989 type of crackdown if anything like that ever happened.
@man-1124691: Have you been to China ever?
They had a cultural revolution which opend up china a brought prosperity for all in China, now these new so called revolutionists want to go back to Brown Shirts and Pants for All China prior to 1990.
This is like true communists in Russia who want the Communist Rule back.
China will not fall apart like the Soviet Union did, they already saw how that went, wasn't so good for the Communist Govt, or for its citizens. Not that I would want to live under such a system.
I agree their party is strong. When I went to Beijing, I have seen people pray to the tomb of Mao Ze Dong like a god. Evertime a turn on the news I hear more about the U.S. than China. People work there and do not complain, almost every one had a job when I went there on 2010. The closest thing to rebellion I saw there was the metro sexual lifestyle and shopping stores such as Zara and Sephora that the people love buying from which I think kind of sways away from the "communist party" agenda.
True, I lived there for 5 years (2003 - 2008) and the people there are extremely nice, content and love their life style. These people do not want the American way of life nor our life style. There are aspects of it they do like and try to emulate but that equates to about 1% of it. Any American vain enough to think everyone one wants to live our culture is foolish, I love it but I also grew up in it. Our news give a false impression of how it is in china. I loved it there, the people were awesome, the culture is amazing, the food is great and it's a very safe place to live. I was never afraid to walk down the darkest of allies in China, can't say that about America. Sorry but it the truth.
A second cultural revolution is a very bad idea.
Quite frankly it was hard to figure out who did what and wanted what in this article. We have to remember they are still communists. So many forget that. I didn't they know they cried though.
They are not communist as the way most communist or even Marxist are. Its just the communist party is in power, and alot of corruption. Everything is business and profit there which I think is nothing like communism but more like radical capitalism. No unions, or no rights for the workers, where Marx's communism wanted all workers to unite and throw down their bosses, its quite the opposite in China. Maoist communism put the emphasis on the peasants on the farm instead of the factory worker. I saw little traces of that too. China is communist only in party and power.
How very interesting...the Chinese way of looking at things is more universal than our western capitalistic mentality. Something in the middle way will evolve.
America, before you criticize China for treating there poor badly. Look in your own back yard. Get your own country right before you try to fix others.
I see the Chinese gov't is represented here this morning.
dog7 says:
"America, before you criticize China for treating there poor badly. Look in your own back yard. Get your own country right before you try to fix others."
Hey dog7, this story is about China and not about U.S. involvement in China or the poor in the U.S.
Why don't you try to stay on topic?
.
I see this as a semi-positive step. Liberalization has benefitted the Chinese, the Communist oligarchy has not.
As an advocate of the "cultural revolution," this man sounds like he was trained under Pol Pot. Send him to the farm and let him plant and harvest rice!
It appears that he is more likely to be fertilizing the rice paddys.
The big secret is out, China has an elite class, and most are closet Capitalists. They get the best of everything including the ownership of erotic harems that even Roman emperors would never dream possible. Sex starved Chinese men want to expropriate those harems. A million Mandarins will be executed followed by a return to the ideology of Chairman Mao.
good to hear communit fighting community i hope china explodes
Socialism is an economic feedback mechanism which serves to compensate for the economic failings of imperfect democracy. Some form of it is basically inevitable sooner or later wherever you have imperfect democracy, and Red China is a long, long way from perfect democracy. For that matter, so is the U.S. Even though though the U.S. has an enormous head start on the creation of democracy, it still largely serves as a mere public front or facade for corporate tyranny in this world. - Rick Carter
(Someone in MSNBC definitely doesn't like me today. Here is a reprint of what I was trying to say, since they were blocking me from editing my original post.)
REPRINT - Socialism is an economic feedback mechanism which serves to compensate for the economic failings of imperfect democracy. Some form of socialism is basically inevitable sooner or later wherever you have imperfect democracy, and Red China is a long, long way from perfect democracy. For that matter, so is the U.S., because even though the U.S. has an enormous head start on the creation of democracy, it still largely serves as a mere public front (or facade) for corporate tyranny in this world. - Rick Carter
Weak reporting with little of the back story. Better coverage of this event and the history of Bo are covered in The Epoch Times, including the UN's Special Rapporteur in 2001 reporting tht Bo was responsible for torture and supervised gang rapes at the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp, Dalian Forced Labor Camp, Zhangshi Forced Labor Camp and Longshan Forced Labor camp. Also covered are the rewards bestowed upon him for his brutality. Those articles are an informative read...
socialism is not the problem. in many ways it protects the ppl and the environment, because the ppl work on a smaller scale. with businesses sometimes very ruthless behavior, the local cultures and religions get trampled over.
"Bo has plenty of fans in China, attracted to the idea of a "Chongqing model" of development that promises greater social equality."
I wonder what the"Chongqing model" of development is.The problem with a lot of these articles,is they don't explain the background.
Uncle Bob, you are so right. Lazy, inept reporting.
Red China is just delaying the inevitable.
To assume that the Chinese people would put up so long with a sham government totally dominated by one party that still claims as its "guiding light" a totally-discredited ideology, Communism, would be to call these brilliant people totally stupid.
They know they can do much better without the "lockstep" rigidity of the CCP that really only serves the elites that control it...and these "challenges" will continue until the People have their say and are able to turn their "cart" upright.
Actually the Communists are doing the world a favor through their anachronistic mindset...they are saving the world from total Chinese domination..
What can I say.?
..all those Chinese cant be that stupid...
Bo is temporary removed from his post a party boss at Chonqing due to the scandal of his subordinate to save Chinese government from the embarassment. He is able to kept his CCP Politburo membership. It will be a matter of time before he is rehabitated to a more senior post.
Bo has been a good and effective leader and governed Chonqing well.